GIFT   OF 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 


PUBLICATIONS 

OF  THE 

GENERAL  EDUCATION  BOARD 

61  Broadway,  New  York  City 

sent  on  request 

The  General  Education  Board:  An  Account  of 
its  Activities  1902-1914.  Cloth,  254  pages,  with 
32  full-page  illustrations  and  31  maps. 

Public  Education  in  Maryland,  by  ABRAHAM 
FLEXNER  and  FRANK  P.  BACHMAN.  2nd  edition. 
176  pages,  and  appendix,  with  25  full-page  illus- 
trations and  34  cuts. 

OCCASIONAL  PAPERS 

1.  The  Country  School  of  To-morrow,  by  FRED- 
ERICK T.  GATES.    Paper,  15  pages. 

2.  Changes  Needed  in  American  Secondary 
Education,  by  CHARLES  W.  ELIOT.    Paper,  29 
pages. 

3.  A  Modern  School,  by  ABRAHAM  FLEXNER. 
Paper,  23  pages. 

IN  PRESS 

Report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  General  Educa- 
tion Board,  1914-1915. 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION 
IN  MARYLAND 


A  REPORT  TO  THE 

MARYLAND  EDUCATIONAL 

SURVEY  COMMISSION 


BY 

ABRAHAM  FLEXNER 

AND 

FRANK  P.  BACHMAN 


Second  Edition 


NEW  YORK 
THE  GENERAL  EDUCATION  BOARD 

6 1    BROADWAY 
I9l6 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

PREFACE vii 

INTRODUCTION xv 

I.    MARYLAND  AND  ITS  SCHOOLS       ....  3 

II.    THE  STATE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION     ...  8 

III.  THE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  22 

IV.  THE  COUNTY  SCHOOL  AUTHORITIES  ...  30 
V.    THE  COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  SCHOOLS  42 

VI.    THE  TEACHERS 57 

VII.    ENROLMENT  AND  ATTENDANCE     ....  80 

VIII.    INSTRUCTION 103 

IX.    FINANCE 125 

X.    IMPROVEMENTS  IN  THE  STATE  ORGANIZATION  155 

XL    IMPROVEMENTS  IN  THE  COUNTY  ORGANIZA- 
TION      163 

XII.    FINANCIAL  READJUSTMENTS 171 

APPENDIX:  NEW  EDUCATION  LAWS 177 


PREFACE 

The  Act  of  1914,  Chapter  844,  which  created  our  com- 
mission, contains  the  following  statement  of  the  purposes 
of  the  legislature: 

"It  is  the  desire  of  the  General  Assembly  that  there  be 
made  a  comprehensive  study  of  the  public  school  system 
of  the  State  of  Maryland,  of  the  state-aided  elementary 
and  secondary  schools  and  the  higher  educational  insti- 
tions  of  the  State  of  Maryland,  with  a  view  to  correlating 
and  coordinating  the  different  institutions  wholly  or 
partially  supported  by  state  appropriations." 

The  Act  also  set  forth  in  its  premises: 

"  That  the  Commission  shall  have  the  power  to  .  .  . 
call  to  its  assistance  any  expert  help  that  may  be  avail- 
able either  from  public  or  private  foundations." 

An  appropriation  of  $5,000  was  made  to  carry  out  the 
purposes  of  the  Legislature.  As  this  was  clearly  insuf- 
ficient to  conduct  so  extensive  a  survey  as  that  con- 
templated by  the  Act,  it  became  evident  that  the 
Legislature  intended  that  the  commission  should  secure 
the  services  of  one  of  the  great  foundations  now  conduct- 
ing educational  surveys  throughout  the  states.  After 
careful  consideration  the  commission  requested  the 
General  Education  Board  to  undertake  the  survey.  The 

vii 


viii  PREFACE 

Board  consented  to  do  so,  generously  agreeing  at  the  same 
time  to  supplement  the  legislative  appropriation  to  the 
extent  of  $7,500  or  such  part  thereof  as  might  be  needed. 

The  commission  stated  to  the  representatives  of  the 
General  Education  Board  that  it  was  the  commission's 
opinion  that  the  State  of  Maryland  could  not  afford  at 
the  present  time  to  increase  its  appropriations  for  public 
schools.  The  commission  therefore  asked  the  General 
Education  Board  not  to  draw  a  plan  for  an  ideal  school 
system  in  Maryland  which  would  be  beyond  the  state's 
resources,  but  rather  to  indicate  whether  or  not  the 
State  of  Maryland  was  getting  the  best  results  from  the 
money  now  expended,  and  if  not,  in  what  manner  the 
same  sum  could  be  expended  to  better  advantage. 

It  should  be  a  source  of  gratification  to  the  people  of 
the  state  that  the  representatives  of  the  Board  have  re- 
ported that  the  present  appropriation,  if  properly  sup- 
plemented by  the  counties,  and  wisely  and  correctly 
applied,  should  give  Maryland  an  excellent  public  school 
system. 

The  report  which  is  now  presented  embodies  a  survey 
of  the  elementary  and  secondary  schools  of  the  counties. 
It  does  not  deal  with  the  schools  of  Baltimore  City.  Nor 
does  it  cover  the  higher  educational  institutions  receiving 
state  aid.  It  is  the  purpose  of  the  commission,  if  con- 
tinued in  office  by  the  Legislature,  to  conduct  a  survey 
of  these  institutions.  A  study  of  education  in  this  state 
would  not  be  complete  without  such  a  survey.  The 
Act  of  1914  wisely  contemplated  "correlating  and  co- 


PREFACE  ix 

ordinating  the  different  institutions  wholly  or  partially 
supported  by  state  appropriations." 

The  evident  object  is  to  provide  a  plan  whereunder  a 
student  will  be  able  to  pass  from  the  lowest  grade  of  pub- 
lic school,  to  and  through  the  highest  that  state-aided 
institutions  offer,  with  the  least  possible  delay  and  at  the 
least  possible  cost  to  the  state.  The  object  has  our  en- 
tire approval. 

The  State  of  Maryland  expends  $269,000  per  annum 
for  the  aid  of  higher  educational  institutions,  besides 
making  large  additional  appropriations  for  the  erection 
of  new  buildings.  The  people  of  the  state  are  entitled  to 
know  whether  this  money  is  wisely  and  efficiently  ex- 
pended and  if  the  state  is  receiving  an  adequate  return. 

As  the  original  agreement  between  the  commission 
and  the  General  Education  Board  covered  the  survey  of 
the  higher  institutions  as  well  as  the  lower  schools,  the 
new  survey  should  be  conducted  without  further  cost  to 
the  state  except  for  an  appropriation  of  $1,000  for  the 
actual  expenses  of  the  commission,  such  as  printing, 
clerical  work,  travelling  expenses,  etc. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  a  thorough  survey  of  this  char- 
acter will  furnish  the  only  correct  basis  on  which  a  sound 
judgment  as  to  the  future  can  be  based,  the  commission 
respectfully  suggests  that  it  may  be  detrimental  to  the 
best  interest  of  the  state  to  cripple  any  educational  insti- 
tution that  has  any  possibility  of  being  moulded  into 
such  a  plan  by  failure  to  make  the  usual  appropriation 
for  such  institution  at  the  present  session.  It  also  feels 


x  PREFACE 

in  duty  bound  to  urge  upon  the  Legislature  that  no 
appropriation  for  educational  institutions  of  any  char- 
acter be  increased  until  the  Legislature  has  before  it  for 
guidance  all  of  the  fundamental  facts,  supplemented  by 
studies  of  the  experiences  of  other  states  in  the  various 
fields  of  education,  and  aided  by  the  unbiased  opinion 
of  experts  based  upon  these  facts  and  studies.  No  mat- 
ter how  pressing  the  present  need  of  any  institution  may 
appear  to  be,  an  increased  appropriation  may  prove  to 
be  not  only  a  waste  of  state  funds,  but  an  actual  impedi- 
ment in  the  formation  of  the  plan  of  coordination  con- 
templated by  the  Act  of  1914. 

The  present  report  of  the  General  Education  Board 
has  the  unqualified  endorsement  of  the  commission.  It 
is  the  work  of  Mr.  Abraham  Flexner  and  Dr.  Frank  P. 
Bachman,  assisted  in  special  lines  by  Mr.  Jackson  Davis 
and  Mr.  W.  W.  Theisen.  Mr.  Flexner,  now  one  of  the 
secretaries  of  the  General  Education  Board,  was  formerly 
connected  with  the  Carnegie  Foundation  for  the  Ad- 
vancement of  Teaching;  he  is  the  author  of  The  American 
College,  Medical  Education  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  Medical  Education  in  Europe,  and  numerous 
papers  dealing  with  educational  subjects.  Dr.  Bachman 
has  served  as  Assistant  Superintendent  of  the  schools  of 
Cleveland,  and  was  a  member  of  the  staff  of  experts,  who, 
headed  by  Professor  Hanus,  conducted  the  survey  of  the 
schools  of  New  York  City.  He  has  also  taken  an  im- 
portant part  in  similar  investigations  elsewhere.  He 
has  published  books  entitled,  "Problems  in  Elementary 


PREFACE  xi 

School  Administration"  and  "  Principles  of  Elementary 
Education")  his  contributions  to  the  New  York  school 
survey  deal  with  the  elementary  schools  and  the  school 
budget.  Mr.  Davis,  formerly  State  Supervisor  of  Negro 
Rural  Schools  of  Virginia,  is  now  the  Field  Agent  of  the 
General  Education  Board  in  charge  of  its  work  in  Negro 
Education.  Mr.  Theisen  is  an  experienced  teacher,  now 
working  in  the  field  of  educational  statistics.  Dr.  Bach- 
man  was  in  local  charge  of  the  Maryland  Survey  and 
himself  visited  every  county  in  the  state. 

In  the  course  of  the  survey  Dr.  Bachman  visited  over 
1 6  per  cent,  of  the  white  teachers  and  10  per  cent,  of 
the  colored  teachers  of  the  state.  Schools  were  visited 
at  random,  and  for  this  reason  those  visited  were  prob- 
ably typical  of  existing  conditions.  Dr.  Bachman  had 
the  full  cooperation  of  the  State  Board  of  Education,  of 
the  State  Superintendent  of  Education,  and  of  the  school 
authorities  throughout  the  state. 

The  Federal  Census  of  1910  ranks  Maryland  among 
the  states  of  the  Union  as  thirty-first  in  point  of 
illiteracy.  If  full  allowance  is  made  for  the  18  per  cent. 
Negro  population  of  the  state,  the  results  are  still  very 
discouraging. 

It  is  a  source  of  congratulation  that  the  remedy  is 
demonstrably  clear  and  comparatively  simple.  The 
nee  .led  corrections  in  the  school  machinery  are  pointed 
out  in  the  report.  These  can  be  promptly  made.  The 
necessary  legislation  to  this  end  is  embraced  in  proposed 
bills  which  will  be  presented  to  the  Legislature. 


XII 


PREFACE 


But  no  legislation  will  produce  results  unless  our  schools 
are  divorced  from  politics.  Public  opinion  in  the  United 
States  has  long  since  endorsed  the  view  that  education 
and  politics  will  not  mix.  The  welfare  of  over  two 
hundred  thousand  school  children  in  the  counties  of 
Maryland  is  at  stake,  as  well  as  the  happiness  and  pros- 
perity of  generations  to  come.  Proper  education  is 
fundamental  to  good  citizenship,  to  the  progress  of  com- 
munities, and  to  the  state  as  a  whole.  The  problem  of 
educating  our  children  strikes  deep  into  the  very  roots  of 
state  welfare  and  penetrates  into  nearly  every  home. 

Good  schools  cannot  be  made  or  sustained  upon  any 
other  basis  than  intelligence  and  common  sense.  Polit- 
ical conditions  and  questions  vary  in  the  counties;  the 
needs  of  the  schools  are  almost  identical.  They  should 
have  no  relation  whatsoever  to  the  political  problems  of 
a  county. 

We  venture  to  say  that  this  is  the  view  of  all  right- 
thinking  politicians.  We  do  not  believe  that  it  is  their 
aim  or  desire  to  mix  politics  with  education.  It  so  hap- 
pens, however,  that  our  school  laws  recognize  the  ex- 
istence of  political  parties  and  have  been  framed  to 
invite  political  activity. 

The  opportunity  has  come  to  remodel  our  public 
school  laws.  We  have  the  facts  before  us  together 
with  the  best  expert  advice.  If  this  advice  is  followed, 
the  State  of  Maryland  should  very  soon  be  able  to  wipe 
out  the  blot  of  illiteracy  and  greatly  to  improve  the  type 
of  education  provided  for  the  children  of  the  state. 


PREFACE 


Xlll 


In  other  states  the  problem  of  reorganizing  an  educa- 
tional system  is  very  complex  and  very  difficult.  It  is 
comparatively  simple  in  our  state.  The  commission 
respectfully  submits  herewith  to  the  Legislature  copies 
of  proposed  bills  drafted  in  line  with  its  recommendations. 
We  most  earnestly  urge  their  passage  by  the  Legislature 
of  1916. 

Respectfully  submitted  to  His  Excellency  Governor 
Phillips  Lee  Goldsborough,  December  20,  1915. 

(Signed)  B.  HOWELL  GRISWOLD,  JR.  (Chairman) 

J.  MCPHERSON  SCOTT 

ALBERT  W.  SISK 


PREFACE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION 

The  printing  of  a  second  edition  makes  it  possible  to  pub- 
lish in  an  appendix  the  comprehensive  statutes  embodying  the 
recommendations  of  the  Survey  Commission  which  have  just 
been  passed  by  the  legislature  of  Maryland  and  signed  by  the 
Governor. 

In  this  edition  there  have  also  been  corrected  some  mis- 
prints and  errors  that  escaped  detection  in  proof-reading,  in 
consequence  of  the  pressure  under  which  the  first  edition 
had  to  be  put  through  the  press. 


xiv 


INTRODUCTION 

In  the  following  pages  an  effort  is  made  to  describe  the 
organization  of  public  education  in  Maryland,  to  estimate 
its  efficiency,  and  to  suggest  such  changes  as  appear  at 
once  desirable  and  feasible. 

The  people  of  Maryland  will  find  some  grounds  for 
gratification  as  they  read  this  volume.  Public  education 
in  Maryland  is  on  the  whole  soundly  organized;  at  the 
head  stands  the  State  Board  of  Education,  acting  through 
the  State  Superintendent  upon  the  local  unit,  which  is — 
as  it  should  be — the  county,  not  the  district  or  the  town- 
ship as  is  the  case  in  less  well-organized  states.  American 
experience  stamps  this  type  of  state  educational  organi- 
zation as  the  best  that  can  be  devised,  for  it  allows  at 
one  and  the  same  time  for  local  initiative  and  for  central 
direction,  both  of  which  are  indispensable.  Further,  the 
state  deals  generously  with  its  public  schools  in  the  mat- 
ter of  money.  Some  of  the  counties,  as  we  shall  learn, 
do  less  than  their  duty  in  this  matter,  but  the  state  has 
been  liberal — too  liberal,  indeed,  with  such  counties  a? 
have  failed  to  help  themselves.  We  do  not  propose, 
therefore,  any  fundamental  changes  in  the  general  struc- 
ture of  the  public  school  system  of  Maryland  nor  do  we 
suggest  that  the  state  increase  at  all  its  appropriations 
to  the  schools. 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

So  far  the  people  of  Maryland  have,  as  we  have  said, 
reason  to  be  satisfied.  But  there  are  other  aspects  which 
will  cause  grave  concern.  A  system  of  public  education, 
in  the  main  soundly  conceived,  yields  on  the  whole  ex- 
tremely unsatisfactory  results.  A  few  counties  possess 
good  and  steadily  improving  schools;  a  good  school  may 
be  found  here  and  there  in  other  counties.  But  the  large 
majority  of  the  schools  are  poor;  teachers  are, for  the  most 
part,  poorly  trained;  instruction  is  ineffective  and  ob- 
solete; children  attend  school  with  disastrous  irregularity; 
school  buildings  are  far  too  often  in  unsatisfactory  condi- 
tion, school  grounds  frequently  neglected  and  untidy. 

How  can  a  fundamentally  sound  system  produce  such 
results? 

There  are,  indeed,  a  good  many  reasons.  The  state 
possesses  a  sound  organization  in  skeleton  or  outline  only. 
Neither  the  State  Department  of  Education  nor  the  office 
of  the  County  Superintendent  is  so  manned  and  equipped 
that  they  are  really  effective  for  the  purposes  for  which 
they  exist.  The  State  Superintendent  is  charged  with 
many  important  duties,  but  he  has  only  a  single  assistant 
to  help  him  in  discharging  them.  The  County  Superin- 
tendency  is  in  even  more  unsatisfactory  condition.  In 
the  first  place,  the  law  does  not  even  require  the  County 
Superintendent  to  be  a  trained  or  experienced  school  man; 
in  the  second  place,  adequate  provision  for  skilled  as- 
sistance exists  in  only  one  or  two  counties.  In  most 
counties,  therefore,  an  untrained  official  without  expert 
aid  certificates  teachers,  arranges  courses  of  study,  super- 


INTRODUCTION  xvii 

vises  instruction,  and  examines  for  promotion  pupils 
who  attend  school  regularly  or  not,  as  they  or  their  parents 
please. 

Finally,  the  state's  large  school  fund  is  not  distributed 
so  as  to  accomplish  the  greatest  possible  good.  For  it 
is  distributed  almost  unconditionally.  The  counties 
get  their  quota  whether  they  do  their  educational  duty 
or  not,  with  the  result  that  the  backward  counties  some- 
times do  much  less  than  they  ought  and  some  well-to-do 
counties  do  much  less  than  they  should.  The  state  fund 
thus  becomes  a  source  of  positive  demoralization.  It 
can  be  converted  into  a  real  help  and  stimulus  only  if 
payment  by  the  state  is  conditioned  upon  the  perform- 
ance of  local  duty. 

In  view  of  these  conditions  it  is  easy  enough  to  under- 
stand why  a  fundamentally  correct  type  of  organization 
produces  unsatisfactory  educational  results  in  Mary- 
land. But,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  state  does  not  even 
fare  as  well  with  its  present  organization  as  it  might: 
why  not? 

A  few  words  suffice  to  explain.  Public  education  in 
Maryland  is  "in  politics."  Politics  are  apt  .to  prevent 
the  State  Board  from  acting  with  vigor;  to  determine 
the  composition  of  the  county  boards;  to  affect  the 
choice  of  the  county  superintendents;  even  to  enter 
into  the  selection  of  the  one-room  rural  school  teacher. 
Of  course,  there  are  exceptions.  Some  of  the  county 
boards  are  excellent;  some  schools  are  entirely  free  from 
political  taint.  But,  in  general,  political  and  personal 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

considerations  impair  the  vigor,  independence,  thorough- 
ness, and  efficiency  of  the  school  system.  The  public 
does  not  begin  to  realize  the  seriousness  of  the  political 
infection  or  the  damage  it  does. 

The  following  chapters  discuss  in  detail  the  situation 
which  has  thus  been  briefly  summarized.  It  is  hoped 
that  legislation  supplementing  and  improving  the  present 
state  system  may  result.  But  even  should  this  be  the 
case,  public  education  will  continue  to  disappoint,  unless 
higher  ideals  result  in  completely  divorcing  education 
from  politics.  • 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 


Public  Education  in  Maryland 

I.    MARYLAND  AND  ITS  SCHOOLS 

BEFORE  undertaking  to  describe  or  to  discuss 
education  in  Maryland  it  is  necessary  to  know  the 
state  itself.    The  very  fact  that  we  nowadays 
begin  with  an  inquiry  of  this  kind  is  significant.    It  means 
that  there  is  no  single  educational  pattern  that  ought  to 
be  applied  to  every  state  or  to  every  county  in  any  state 
regardless  of  local  conditions.     Not  only  the  substance 
but  the  end  of  education  must  be  defined  with  reference 
to  the  needs  and  opportunities  of  the  people  who  are  to 
be  educated. 

Maryland  is  a  border  state,  lying  midway  between 
North  and  South;  in  population  and  occupations  it 
is  therefore  partly  Northern  and  partly  Southern.  It 
differs,  however,  from  all  other  states  of  the  Union  in  the 
extent  of  its  water  area,  for  of  a  total  area  of  12,210 
square  miles,  almost  one-fifth  (2,319  square  miles)  is 
water.  Of  the  estimated  state  population,  1,300,000, 
43  per  cent.,  live  in  the  city  of  Baltimore;  a  dozen  small 
cities  raise  the  urban  population  to  just  about  50  per  cent. 
From  the  standpoint  of  numbers,  therefore,  the  state  is 
half  urban  and  half  rural.  If,  however,  the  city  of  Balti- 

3 


IN  MARYLAND 


more  is  ignored,  an  overwhelming  percentage  of  the  rest 
of  the  population  live  in  the  country.  Maryland  is, 
therefore,  with  the  exception  of  its  one  great  city,  a  rural 
state  with  an  unusual  water  development.  Its  rural 
character  is  clearer  from  the  educational  than  from 
any  other  point  of  view;  for  of  388,486  children  of 
legal  school  age  in  the  state,  234,900  live  outside 
Baltimore  City.  For  education  this  is  a  fact  of  prime 
importance. 

The  Federal  Census  of  1910  shows  that  more  than  five 
hundred  occupations  are  carried  on  in  Maryland.  Of 
these  a  few  are  regional  —  mining,  for  example,  in  the 
mountain  regions,  fishing  and  oystering  about  the 
Chesapeake.  Baltimore  thrives  on  manufacturing,  trade, 
and  transportation.  Outside  of  Baltimore,  agriculture 
predominates.  Indeed,  one-third  of  all  the  wage-earners 
outside  that  city  and  21  per  cent,  of  those  in  the 
entire  state  are  engaged  in  one  branch  of  farming  or 
another. 

Agriculture  has  prospered  in  Maryland,  though  less  so 
than  in  some  other  parts  of  the  country.  In  the  last 
decade  the  number  of  farms  has  increased  by  something 
over  6  per  cent.  ;  the  value  of  farm  property  has  increased 
by  40  per  cent.;  farms  now  average  slightly  over  100 
acres  as  opposed  to  twice  that  size  in  1850.  Simultane- 
ously with  the  decrease  in  the  size  of  the  farms,  the  num- 
ber of  owners  has  increased.  The  tenant  farmer,  so 
apt  to  be  an  unfavorable  symptom,  is  not  prominent  and 
is  disappearing.  The  significance  of  these  facts  for  our 


MARYLAND  AND  ITS  SCHOOLS  5 

inquiry  is  obvious.  As  the  city  of  Baltimore  is  not  in- 
cluded in  this  study,  we  are  called  on  to  deal  with  a  sys- 
tem of  schools  serving  mainly  a  rural  population. 

The  population  of  Maryland  grows  steadily,  but  no 
longer  rapidly.  The  state  ranked  sixth  with  320,000 
inhabitants  in  1790;  it  ranks  twenty-seventh  with  over 
four  times  that  number  to-day.  Its  population  is  un- 
usually stable.  In  1910  about  80  per  cent,  of  those 
living  in  the  state  were  born  there,  while  only  8  per  cent, 
were  foreign  born.  In  the  rural  districts  this  condition 
is  even  more  marked;  there  the  percentages  were  84 
per  cent,  born  and  living  in  the  state;  3.7  per  cent,  foreign 
born.  The  border-line  situation  of  the  state  adds,  how- 
ever, a  complication;  for  approximately  one-fifth  of  the 
population  belongs  to  the  Negro  race.  The  schools  of 
Maryland  serve  then  in  the  main  native  races,  living 
largely  in  the  country,  the  Negro  race  being  numerous 
enough  to  make  a  heavy  demand  on  the  state. 

The  history  of  the  state  need  not  be  reviewed  in  this 
connection;  but  a  single  fact  of  outstanding  importance 
must  be  noted.  In  the  development  of  its  institutions, 
as  in  the  South  generally,  the  county  has  from  the  begin- 
ning played  a  vital  part.  The  Maryland  county  is  not 
an  aggregate  of  smaller  units,  such  as  towns  and  town- 
ships; it  is  the  original  and  fundamental  governing  unit. 
The  state  began  with  counties;  eleven  were  created  be- 
tween 1637  and  1695.  Division  into  election  and  school 
districts  took  place  later  and  simply  for  purposes  of  con- 
venience. The  priority  of  the  county  is,  as  we  shall  ob- 


6  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

serve,  a  fortunate  circumstance  from  the  educational 
point  of  view. 

As  early  as  1671  legislative  efforts  to  provide  schools 
or  colleges  "for  the  education  of  youth  in  learning  and 
virtue"  are  recorded.  But  despite  intermittent  agita- 
tion, the  better  part  of  a  century  passed  before  certain 
schools  were  established,  which  were  the  forerunners  of 
the  " academies"  established  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
eighteenth  and  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  centuries. 
Of  these  academies  we  shall  learn  more  later.  Suffice 
it  to  say  here  that  they  represented  mainly  the  concern 
of  the  state  for  the  education  of  the  upper  classes.  Not 
until  1812  was  an  effort  made  to  provide  elementary 
schools  for  the  poor. 

Thereafter,  developments  were  fairly  rapid.  In  1825 
an  ambitious  scheme,  never  put  into  full  operation, 
created  by  legislative  action  a  complete  system  of  public 
instruction,  beginning  with  a  superintendent  at  the  top 
and  ending  with  county  and  district  organization  at  the 
bottom.  The  system  failed;  but  efforts  did  not  cease. 
Forty  years  later  a  new  state  system  was  established  by 
the  constitution  of  1864.  This  system,  distinguished  by 
the  great  power  conferred  on  the  State  Board  and  the 
State  Superintendent,  was  evidently  premature;  for 
three  years  later  a  new  constitution  sounded  its  death 
knell. 

The  State  Board  and  the  State  Superintendent  were 
abolished  in  the  following  year  (1868);  the  county 
and  the  district  thus  became  supreme.  Well-founded 


MARYLAND  AND  ITS  SCHOOLS  7 

discontent  led  gradually  to  the  revival  of  central  state 
educational  agencies;  and  thus  by  1900  the  system  had 
attained  the  form  in  which  this  volume  finds  it. 

Though  the  facts  will  emerge  as  our  study  proceeds,  it 
may  be  worth  while,  by  means  of  a  brief  statistical  state- 
ment, to  show  in  advance  the  extent  and  importance  of 
Maryland's  educational  interests.  In  the  23  counties  of 
Mary  land,  and  inclusive  of  Baltimore  city,  there  are  1,935 
white  and  550  colored  schools;  the  children  of  school 
age  (6  to  1 8)  number  275,503  white  and  63,964  colored; 
200,783  white  children  and  44,475  colored  are  enrolled. 
The  state  employs  upward  of  5,000  white  and  almost 
1,000  colored  teachers.  Its  annual  outlay  is  more  than 
$5,000,000,  one-half  of  which  is  spent  outside  the  city  of 
Baltimore.  We  are  about  to  inquire  how  wisely  this 
large  sum  is  spent  and  whether  or  not  the  people  of 
Maryland  could  spend  it  more  wisely  than  they  do. 


II.    THE  STATE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION 

PUBLIC  education  in  America  has  developed 
most  satisfactorily  in  those  states  in  which  a 
judicious  combination  of  state  and  local  author- 
ity has  been  effected.  The  reason  is  plain.  The  in- 
fluence of  the  state  makes  for  unity  of  design  and  uni- 
formity of  standard;  local  initiative  ensures  the  interest, 
effort,  pride,  and  sacrifice  of  the  community  to  which  the? 
school  belongs.  The  public  school  system  of  Maryland 
is  of  this  prevailing  American  type.  The  state  de- 
termines the  general  outlines,  while  the  details  are 
largely  managed  by  local  authorities.  We  shall  in  this 
chapter  describe  the  organization  and  operation  of  the 
State  Board,  discussing  its  part  in  centralizing  educa- 
tional administration. 

The  State  Board  consists  of  eight  members  of  whom 
the  Governor  and  the  State  Superintendent  are  two. 
The  remaining  six,  of  whom  at  least  two  must  represent 
the  political  party  defeated  at  the  last  preceding  election 
for  Governor,  are  appointed  by  the  Governor,  subject 
to  confirmation  by  the  Senate.  Appointments  run  six 
years,  two  terms  expiring  every  two  years.  Thus  a 
total  change  of  membership  requires  something  more  than 
a  single  gubernatorial  term.  The  political  complexion 

ft 


THE  STATE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION  9 

may,  however,  be  altered,  whenever  a  Governor  is  elected 
whose  politics  differ  from  the  politics  of  his  predecessor. 
The  present  Board,  a  majority  of  whom  are  Republicans, 
consists  of  the  Governor  (a  lawyer),  the  State  Superin- 
tendent (an  educator),  a  retired  publisher,  a  banker,  a 
manufacturer,  a  lawyer,  and  two  college  presidents. 

We  shall,  in  a  moment,  discuss  the  functions,  powers, 
and  duties  of  the  State  Board.  But  it  is  important  to 
call  attention  at  the  outset  to  the  fact  that  the  arrange- 
ment above  described  makes  the  State  Department  of 
Education  part  and  parcel  of  the  elected  state  govern- 
ment and  thus  exposes  it — and,  with  it,  public  education 
in  general — to  the  vicissitudes  of  state  politics.  It  is 
not  a  question  as  to  whether,  at  this  time,  or  indeed  at 
any  time,  the  State  Department  has  been  "in  politics." 
It  is  enough  to  point  out  that  the  statute  regulating  the 
personnel  of  the  Board  looks  in  that  direction.  Gover- 
nors should,  of  course,  be  sufficiently  wise  and  strong 
to  prevent  local  or  national  politics  from  determining  the 
composition  of  the  State  Board  and  thus  influencing  school 
administration;  and  Maryland  may  be  fortunate  enough 
to  escape  the  dangers  to  which  she  is  exposed  by  the 
terms  of  the  statute.  But  it  is  assuredly  safer  to  dimin- 
ish the  danger.  The  law  should  be  drawn  on  the  theory 
that  while  the  people,  through  the  State  Board,  decide 
general  educational  policies,  the  Board  should  be  so  con- 
stituted as  to  avoid  the  ups  and  downs  of  party  contests. 

How  should  a  State  Board  of  Education  be  constituted 
and  what  should  be  its  functions?  There  is  as  yet  no 


io         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

agreement  in  practice  on  either  point.  It  happens  there- 
fore that  in  some  states  the  Board  is  an  ex-officio  body; 
in  others  a  lay  body;  sometimes  it  is  composed  of  both 
laymen  and  educators.  The  duties  laid  upon  the  Board 
also  vary  greatly  from  state  to  state.  In  one  place  its 
functions  are  nominal;  in  another,  detailed  and  responsi- 
ble. As  a  rule,  the  powers  exercised  by  state  boards 
have  grown  by  accretion,  uncontrolled  by  a  clear  concep- 
tion of  what  is  aimed  at. 

Meanwhile,  in  the  light  of  our  experience,  it  may  safely 
be  said  that  the  State  Board  should  be  essentially  a  lay 
body  representing  the  people  in  large  matters  of  educa- 
tional policy  and  keeping  the  viewpoint,  experience,  and 
need  of  the  layman  before  the  school  executive.  Obvi- 
ously a  Board,  made  up  of  laymen  and  meeting  a  few 
times  a  year,  cannot  be  charged  with  the  direct  execution 
of  matters  of  policy  nor  can  it  undertake  to  decide  and 
supervise  in  matters  of  detail.  It  is  rather  to  be  re- 
garded as  a  criticising,  suggesting,  and  reviewing  body, 
that  the  Superintendent  must  consult  and  convince  in 
regard  to  all  decisions  of  moment.  The  Board  cannot 
supersede  the  Superintendent,  but  it  can  make  sure  that 
he  does  his  duty  and  can  enormously  assist  him  with  sug- 
gestion and  counsel. 

The  Maryland  State  Board  does  not  appear  to  be  con- 
stituted according  to  any  clear  principle,  nor  have  all  its 
functions  been  logically  arrived  at.  As  the  Governor  and 
State  Superintendent  are  members,  the  membership  is 
partly  ex-officio;  it  contains,  besides,  both  laymen  and 


THE  STATE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION          n 

educators.  Its  duties  are  varied,  not  to  say  indiscrimi- 
nate, for  it  is  at  once  a  legislative,  a  judicial,  and  an 
executive  agency.  As  a  legislating  educational  body,  it 
makes  courses  of  study,  determines  the  minimum  re- 
quirements for  the  degrees  conferred  by  the  academic 
institutions  of  the  state,  passes  on  the  qualifications  of 
regular  high  school  teachers,  and  classifies  high  schools 
that  are  to  receive  state  aid.  As  an  executive,  it  is  ex- 
pected to  enforce  the  school  laws,  which  will  be  described 
in  the  course  of  this  report — and,  when  necessary,  to  em- 
ploy legal  proceedings  to  that  end.  On  the  judicial  side, 
it  interprets  school  legislation,  deciding  controversies  and 
disputes,  and  even  possesses,  though  it  has  not  used,  the 
power  to  remove  from  office  an  inefficient  County  Super- 
intendent. Finally,  the  State  Board  also  administers  the 
state  normal  schools,  manages  the  state  teachers'  retire- 
ment fund,  and  grants  professional  certificates  valid 
throughout  the  state  and  for  life  to  teachers  of  experi- 
ence and  established  reputation. 

In  exercising  its  authority  and  carrying  out  its  will, 
the  State  Board  acts  through  its  secretary  and  executive 
officer,  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Education.  Aside 
for  the  moment  from  the  question  as  to  whether  the 
State  Board  should  or  should  not  possess  the  particular 
powers  above  enumerated,  it  is  clear  that  adequate 
execution  of  the  law  depends  primarily  on  the  State 
Superintendent.  As  the  Superintendent  is  not  omni- 
present and  cannot  make  himself  efficiently  felt  through 
circulars,  blanks,  and  documents,  he  cannot  make  the 


12         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

State  Department  effective  unless  he  possesses  an  ade- 
quate organization  and  is  vigorously  supported  both  by 
the  Board  and  by  public  opinion.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
not  one  of  these  three  conditions  is  satisfactorily  ful- 
filled. 

The  State  Superintendent's  staff,  as  we  shall  more 
fully  observe  in  the  next  chapter,  consists  of  himself, 
an  assistant,  and  a  clerk — an  organization  altogether 
inadequate  to  the  duties  laid  upon  it.  Public  opinion 
in  the  state  is  in  the  main  indifferent.  The  State  Board, 
partly  for  this  reason,  partly  because  of  the  way  it  is 
constituted,  frequently  acts  on  the  theory  that  friendly 
and  patient  pressure  may  in  the  long  run  accomplish 
more  than  would  be  achieved  by  vigorous  measures. 
It  follows  inevitably  that  the  State  Board  does  not  en- 
force all  the  laws.  In  some  instances  the  law  is  simply 
ignored;  in  others  it  is  applied  with  considerable  laxity. 
For  example,  the  statute  requires  that  county  superin- 
tendents "  shall  devote  their  entire  time  to  public  school 
business."1  The  State  Board  of  Education  is  not  un- 
aware of  the  fact  that  in  the  counties  of  Somerset, 
Calvert,  and  Montgomery  the  county  superintendents 
now  in  office  do  not  "  devote  their  entire  time  to  public 
school  business."  Again,  the  law  provides  that  "no 
persons  shall  be  employed  as  teachers  unless  such  per- 
sons shall  hold  a  certificate  of  qualification."2  The 
State  Board  knows  that  this  law  is  disregarded,  as,  for 

Public  School  Laws  of  Maryland,  Chap.  XI,  Sec.  80. 
"Public  School  Laws  of  Maryland,  Chap  VIII,  Sec.  53. 


THE  STATE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION          13 

example,  in  the  counties  of  Caroline  and  Dorchester. 
Thus  neither  of  these  important  statutes  is  well  enforced. 

It  must,  however,  in  fairness  be  said  that  inefficiency 
sometimes  results  from  defects  in  the  law  itself.  For 
example,  nothing  is  more  important  than  uniformity  at 
a  high  level  in  the  training  of  teachers.  Unfortunately, 
in  Maryland,  several  agencies,  working  independently 
of  each  other,  participate  in  determining  the  qualifications 
of  teachers.  The  State  Board  grants  teaching  certifi- 
cates valid  for  life,  and  in  so  far  regulates  one  important 
part  of  the  teaching  profession.  At  the  same  time,  the 
State  Superintendent  and  the  county  superintendents 
control  other  parts  of  the  teaching  profession.  Thus, 
in  respect  to  certification — a  matter  of  crucial  importance 
— the  law  prevents  the  execution  of  a  consistent  and 
effective  policy. 

Again,  waste  or  ineffectiveness  results  when  powers 
which  should  be  lodged  in  the  State  Superintendent  are 
delegated  to  the  State  Board.  The  Board  is,  for  ex- 
ample, required  to  interpret  the  laws  and  to  decide 
controversies  arising  under  them.  Such  questions  are 
at  times  presented  to  the  Board  as  part  of  the  regular 
docket;  at  times  special  meetings  are  called  for  their 
consideration,  now  at  Annapolis,  again  at  some  remote 
corner  of  the  state.  Perhaps  one-fourth  of  the  Board's 
time  is  thus  consumed.  If  the  Board  had  not  had  to  sit 
as  a  court  in  such  matters,  there  would  probably  have 
been  no  occasion  to  hold  six  special  meetings  in  1912,  foul 
in  1913,  and  five  in  1915. 


i4         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

Here  again  the  law  is  responsible  for  inefficiency.  The 
State  Board  should  not  be  required  to  exercise  judicial 
functions.  Its  members  are  widely  scattered;  most  of 
them  lack  legal  training  and  experience;  they  meet  regu- 
larly only  four  times  a  year,  and  even  then  but  for  a  few 
hours.  They  should  not  be  expected  to  deal  with  mat- 
ters of  minute  detail  or  technical  nature.  The  trained 
Superintendent  who  has  their  confidence  should  act  for 
them  and  without  their  intervention  in  deciding  tech- 
nical points.  Such  is  already  the  practice  in  certain 
states — among  others,  Illinois,  Kentucky,  New  York, 
and  Virginia — in  all  of  which  the  interpretation  of  the 
school  law  and  the  handling  of  appeals  from  county  and 
town  authorities  are  given  over  to  the  executive  officer  of 
the  Board. 

To  some  extent  inefficiency  has  also  arisen  because  the 
Board,  given  a  specific  responsibility,  has  misconceived 
the  manner  in  which  that  responsibility  should  be  met. 
The  State  Board  is — as  it  should  be — the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  state  normal  schools.  It  has,  indeed, 
no  more  important  duty,  for  from  these  schools,  the 
Baltimore  Normal  School,  the  Frostburg  Normal  School, 
and  the  Normal  and  Industrial  School  at  Bowie,  come 
and  will  continue  to  come  the  major  part  of  the  trained 
teachers  in  the  elementary  schools  of  the  state. 

Now,  what  should  the  board  of  trustees  of  a  normal 
school  do?  In  the  first  place,  the  board  should  select 
the  school  head,  and  in  conference  with  him  determine 
the  general  policy  of  the  institution.  It  should  visit, 


THE  STATE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION          15 

inspect,  and  control.  But  it  should  not  conduct  the 
school.  If  the  head  of  the  institution  is  competent,  he 
should,  in  cooperation  with  the  faculty  of  the  institution, 
devise  detailed  plans  and  submit  nominations  to  the 
State  Board.  In  respect  to  these  matters,  the  Board 
should  be  a  sort  of  jury,  whom  the  principal  and  his 
associates  must  convince  of  the  propriety  and  wisdom  of 
their  suggestions.  It  is,  of  course,  within  the  duty  of 
the  Board  also  to  make  suggestions  in  the  course  of  their 
discussions.  But  the  initiative  should  lie  with  the  school 
head  and  staff.  The  Board  cannot  possess  the  technical 
knowledge,  training,  and  experience,  nor  has  it  the  time, 
to  "run"  the  school.  Unless  the  head  and  faculty  of  the 
normal  schools  are  capable  of  discharging  their  proper 
functions,  they  are  unequal  to  their  task  and  should  be 
replaced. 

The  State  Board  now  manages  the  normal  schools 
through  committees.  Each  institution  is  in  charge  of  a 
committee  made  up  of  three  members  of  the  State  Board, 
the  chairman  of  the  Committee  being  in  a  sense  its  repre- 
sentative and  active  agent.  These  sub-committees  are 
so  important  that  the  State  Board  is  in  danger  of  exces- 
sive deference  to  them  in  the  appointment  of  principals 
and  teachers  and  in  the  determination  of  details  of  policy. 
To  be  sure,  the  principals  of  the  normal  schools  have  the 
right  to  appear  before  the  Board  on  questions  connected 
with  their  institutions.  But  advantage  is  seldom  taken 
of  this  privilege.  There  is,  moreover,  no  evidence  to 
show  that  principals  have  been  or  have  been  expected  tc 


16         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

be  properly  active  in  making  known  the  larger  needs  of 
their  schools  or  in  outlining  the  steps  in  advance  to  be 
taken  by  them.  Indeed,  the  more  important  changes  in 
the  course  of  study,  in  entrance  requirements  and  the 
like,  made  within  recent  years,  have  had  their  origin 
with  the  State  Superintendent.  Again,  principals  have 
no  particular  responsibility  in  the  matter  of  finding  and 
recommending  to  the  State  Board  qualified  teachers  to 
fill  vacancies.  Applications  for  positions  may  be  sent  to 
them,  but  quite  as  often  they  are  sent  to  the  State  Board. 
Even  though  such  applications  are  subsequently  referred 
to  the  principal,  it  is  evident  that  there  exists  an  unfortu- 
nate doubt  as  to  just  where  initiative  belongs. 

The  State  Board  should  of  course  continue  to  exercise 
a  strong  and  vigilant  control  over  the  normal  schools,  but 
the  character  of  this  control  needs  to  be  modified.  Di- 
rect responsibility  should  be  imposed  upon  the  principals 
for  working  out  plans  for  the  training  of  teachers  and  for 
the  development  and  improvement  of  their  schools, 
Larger  opportunity  should  be  afforded  them  for  the 
exercise  of  their  powers  in  the  management  of  their  re- 
spective institutions.  Thereupon  the  State  Board  must 
hold  them  to  strict  account  for  results. 

In  respect  to  other  technical  points,  the  policy  of  the 
Board  has  been  generally  sound.  The  Board,  for  ex- 
ample, is  authorized  to  prepare  courses  of  study.  In  the 
elementary  schools  the  statute  specifies  the  subjects, 
but  leaves  the  Board  to  determine  details;  in  the  high 
schools,  normal  schools,  and  colleges,  the  Board  has 


THE  STATE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION          17 

practically  complete  power.  In  these  matters  the 
Board  depends,  as  it  should  depend,  on  its  executive  offi- 
cer to  lead,  suggest,  and  devise.  The  details  of  the  pre- 
scribed curricula  will  be  taken  up  in  connection  with  the 
different  types  of  school.  Suffice  it  at  this  point  to  say 
that  the  State  Board,  through  its  executive  officer,  has 
given  no  little  attention  of  late  years  to  courses  of  study, 
to  the  end  that  instruction  might  be  better  adapted  to 
economic  and  social  needs.  The  courses  of  study  for  both 
the  elementary  schools  and  the  high  schools  were  re- 
vised in  1901,  in  1907,  and  in  1913.  Important  changes 
were  made  in  the  course  for  the  normal  schools  in  1905 
and  in  1908,  and  a  complete  revision  of  college  courses 
for  teachers  is  now  under  way.  As  we  shall  hereafter 
see,1  it  is,  however,  one  thing  to  recast  a  course  of 
study  and  another  thing  to  recast  the  actual  instruction 
given  in  the  schools.  The  course  of  study,  while  still 
needing  revision,  has  probably  improved  in  recent  years 
rather  faster  than  the  teaching  through  which  it  is  ad- 
ministered. 

The  Board  has,  though  not  without  some  excuse,2 
done  less  well  in  regard  to  its  recording  and  reporting 
methods.  As  far  back  as  1872,  the  legislature  empow- 
ered the  State  Board  "  to  issue  a  uniform  series  of  blanks 
for  the  use  of  teachers  and  of  county  boards,  and  to  re- 
quire all  records  to  be  kept  and  reports  to  be  made  on 
these  forms."  Accordingly,  the  State  Board  through  its 

'Chapter  VIII,  "Instruction." 
,2Viz.,  the  lack  of  necessary  assistance. 


i8         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

executive  officer  has  prescribed  a  system  of  school 
records  covering,  among  other  things,  the  financial 
transactions  of  the  county  boards,  the  daily  records  and 
term  reports  of  the  teachers,  records  and  reports  for  ap- 
proved high  schools,  and  forms  for  the  annual  report  of 
the  county  superintendents — a  degree  of  uniformity 
found  in  few  other  states.  The  value  of  these  uniform 
records  can  scarcely  be  overestimated,  for  modern  school 
administration  rests  not  upon  personal  opinion,  but 
upon  objective  facts,  such  as  these  forms  aim  to  elicit. 
Unfortunately,  the  blanks  now  prescribed  by  the  State 
Board  are  by  no  means  perfect,  either  as  to  form  or  as 
to  the  data  called  for.  It  would  be  a  great  improvement 
to  adopt  the  financial  forms  suggested  by  the  National 
Bureau  of  Education  and  the  educational  blanks  rec- 
ommended by  the  Committee  of  the  National  Education 
Association  on  Uniform  Blanks  and  Reports. 

There  is,  of  course,  no  virtue  in  the  mere  accumulation 
of  statistical  data  in  the  State  Department  of  Education. 
The  endless  filling  out  of  blanks  is  largely  a  waste  of  time 
unless  the  data  accumulated  are  studied,  interpreted,  and 
utilized.  As  the  Board  is  required  by  law  to  issue  an 
annual  Report  and  is  allowed  in  its  discretion  to  issue 
special  pamphlets  from  time  to  time,  opportunity  to 
utilize  the  data  collected  cannot  be  said  to  be  lacking. 

The  Reports  thus  far  issued,  while  comparing  not  un- 
favorably with  reports  issued  by  many  other  states,  do 
not  make  effective  use  of  the  material  available.  A 
school  report  should  not  only  give  an  account  of  what  has 


THE  STATE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION          19 

happened,  but  should  develop,  expound,  and  recommend 
educational  policy.  It  should  exhibit  vividly  not  only 
achievements,  but  needs,  difficulties,  and  opportunities 
as  well.  A  well-written  report  is  the  most  effective  means 
of  communication  between  the  Board  of  Education  and 
the  people  of  the  state. 

The  Annual  Report  of  the  State  Board,  prepared  by 
the  Superintendent,  is  now  a  volume  of  some  400  pages. 
It  could  be  greatly  reduced,  and  to  that  extent  improved 
as  a  means  of  communication,  by  omitting  such  matter 
as  the  abstract  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Maryland  State 
Teachers'  Association,  which  are,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
separately  published  by  the  Department,  and  the  alpha- 
betical list  of  the  teachers  of  the  state — a  separate  publi- 
cation of  which  would  serve  the  purpose  better.  The 
reports  of  the  county  school  boards  could  be  much 
condensed.  In  place  of  what  is  thus  omitted,  the  Report, 
utilizing  the  data  obtained  on  the  blanks  above  de- 
scribed, should  present  in  narrative  and  graphic  form  the 
essential  facts  bearing  upon  the  preparation  and  salaries 
of  teachers,  the  attendance  and  classification  of  children, 
the  condition  of  schoolhouses,  and  the  financial  support 
of  the  school  system.  Such  information  would  supply 
a  solid  basis  for  deciding  upon  educational  policies  and 
for  determining  administrative  and  supervisory  action. 
Each  report  might  well  carry  some  important  message 
to  the  people.  One  might  " feature"  Compulsory 
School  Attendance,  another,  The  Sanitary  Conditions 
and  Care  of.  Schoolhouses,  still  another,  Better  Pre- 


20         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

pared  Teachers.  Obviously  the  executive  officer  of  the 
Board,  with  his  present  force,  cannot  act  on  these  sugges- 
tions. This,  however,  is  simply  another  reason  for  plac- 
ing larger  resources  at  its  command. 

The  State  Board  is  not  unmindful  of  the  value  of  an 
aroused  public  interest  in  education.  Indeed,  not  a  little 
has  been  done  within  the  last  two  years  to  centre  the  at- 
tention of  the  people  upon  their  schools.  Educational 
mass-meetings  and  school  exhibits,  authorized  and  en- 
couraged by  the  State  Board,  were  held  in  1914  in  all 
but  two  counties  of  the  state.  There  was  usually  a 
parade  of  the  school  children  of  the  county,  competitive 
athletic  games,  fancy  drills,  a  display  of  school  work,  and 
a  mass-meeting  at  which  addresses  were  given  by  persons 
of  prominence  upon  the  work  and  needs  of  the  schools. 
As  many  as  eight  to  ten  thousand  attended  these  Educa- 
tional Rallies  in  a  single  county.  Some  of  those  attending 
realized  for  the  first  time  the  number  of  children  there 
are  to  be  educated.  Others  saw  for  the  first  time  an  ex- 
hibit of  what  the  modern  school  does,  and  appreciated  as 
never  before  the  significance  of  public  education  to  the 
youth  of  the  state.  Few,  indeed,  of  all  the  many  thou- 
sands attending  these  great  meetings,  failed  to  pledge 
their  loyal  support  to  the  schools. 

The  State  Board  has  wisely  resolved  to  continue  this 
campaign  for  enlightened  public  sentiment.  The  failure 
year  after  year  of  counties  to  take  advantage  of  the 
liberal  aid  offered  by  the  state  for  particular  kinds  of 
elementary  education;  the  demand  of  certain  counties  to 


THE  STATE  SUPERINTENDENT  23 

fixed  by  the  State  Board,  which  possesses  also  a  qualified 
veto  on  his  removal.  For  though  the  Governor  may  re- 
move the  State  Superintendent  at  his  pleasure,  the  act, 
to  be  valid,  must  be  sanctioned  by  a  vote  of  two- thirds 
of  the  Board.  In  these  provisions,  as  in  the  provisions 
regulating  appointment  to  the  State  Board,  there  is, 
once  more,  evidence  of  lack  of  clear  thinking.  For  the 
Superintendent,  who  is  the  state's  educational  executive, 
should  be  chosen,  not  by  the  Governor,  but  by  a  board  as 
far  removed  from  political  influences  as  possible,  for  a 
term  either  indefinite  or  long  enough  to  avoid  danger  of 
political  complications. 

Aside  from  his  duties  as  member  of  the  State  Board, 
and  as  the  executive  who  carries  out  the  Board's  orders, 
the  Superintendent  of  Public  Education  exercises  certain 
powers  and  performs  certain  duties  in  his  individual  capac- 
ity. These  duties  are  both  supervisory  and  inspectional 
in  character.  For  example,  he  accepts  or  rejects  in  his 
discretion  normal  school  and  college  diplomas  issued  by 
other  states;  defines  the  qualifications  of  teachers  of 
special  branches  in  high  school  domestic  science,  manual 
training,  etc. ;  rates  teachers  who,  not  being  normal  school 
graduates,  offer  instead  some  supposedly  equivalent 
training  plus  practical  experience;  and  examines  the 
reports  and  expenditures  of  the  county  school  boards. 
The  Superintendent  is,  moreover,  authorized  to  prepare 
and  distribute  pamphlets  to  teachers  giving  information 
as  to  the  best  methods  of  instruction  in  the  various 
studies  pursued  in  the  schools. 


24         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

For  our  present  purpose  it  is  immaterial  whether  the 
Superintendent  is  called  on  to  do  a  particular  thing  in  his 
own  capacity  or  on  the  order  of  the  State  Board.  Our  real 
concern  is  as  to  the  efficiency  with  which  the  work  of  the 
department  has  been  carried  on.  In  passing  judgment 
on  this  point,  an  important  distinction  must  be  made. 
The  " mechanics"  of  the  office  have  been  well  attended 
to,  better  indeed  than  one  could  reasonably  expect  with 
existing  facilities.  Modern  methods  of  handling  business 
have  been  introduced,  correspondence  is  promptly  dis- 
posed of,  records  are  well  kept  and  easily  accessible.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  larger  opportunities  have  not  been 
met  and  under  existing  circumstances  cannot  be  met. 
True  enough,  the  department  has,  over  and  above  the 
explicit  requirements  of  the  statute,  in  recent  years  initi- 
ated certain  progressive  measures  of  great  importance:  it 
has,  for  example,  secured  legislation  providing  for  state 
aid  to  and  supervision  of  high  schools,  for  state  certifica- 
tion of  high  school  teachers,  and  for  a  minimum  profes- 
sional training  in  case  of  elementary  school  teachers. 
These  measures,  however,  represent  only  a  " drive"  in 
one  direction  or  another.  The  department  has  been 
unable  to  follow  them  up  vigorously  and  steadily  or  to 
give  the  requisite  attention  to  other  large  problems  of 
equal  urgency. 

The  reason  is  plain.  Nothing  is  simpler  than  to  author- 
ize or  require  the  State  Superintendent  to  "  supervise," 
"inspect,"  " examine,"  or  "pass  upon."  But  neither 
inspection,  supervision,  nor  examination  can  avail,  unless 


THE  STATE  SUPERINTENDENT  25 

an  adequate  trained  organization  is  provided  through 
which  he  can  work.  As  has  been  pointed  out  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter,  the  force  at  the  Superintendent's  disposal 
is  utterly  insufficient.  He  has  a  single  assistant  appointed 
with  the  approval  of  the  State  Board  at  a  salary  of  $2,000 
and  one  clerk  at  a  salary  not  to  exceed  $1,200.  In 
addition  to  his  own  salary,  he  has  an  expense  allowance 
of  five  hundred  dollars,  and  one  thousand  dollars  more 
for  furniture,  supplies,  and  printing.1  Three  persons  thus 
constitute  the  entire  staff  at  the  disposal  of  the  State  Su- 
perintendent of  Education  in  Maryland.  It  goes  without 
saying  that  the  functions  which  we  have  enumerated  sim- 
ply cannot  be  effectively  discharged  by  this  organization. 
In  lieu  of  an  organized  and  specialized  staff  of  which 
he  would  be  the  directing  and  inspiring  chief,  the  State 
Superintendent  of  Maryland  obtains,  as  best  he  can,  such 
knowledge  of  school  conditions  as  will  enable  him  and  the 
State  Board  to  perform  their  various  duties  as  intelli- 
gently as  may  be.  He  therefore  spends  the  major  por- 
tion of  his  time  in  actually  visiting  schools  in  different 
parts  of  the  state.  Obviously  he  cannot  thoroughly 
cover  the  field.  He  is  thus  compelled  to  assume  that  by 
hastily  "sampling"  the  situation  here  and  there,  he  ob- 
tains a  fairly  adequate  conception  of  existing  conditions. 
Thus  he  glances  at  the  school  grounds,  notes  the  condi- 
tions of  the  buildings,  and  examines  cursorily  the  school 

^he  State  Board  has  an  appropriation  of  $3,000  to  cover  the  expenses 
of  members  in  attending  meetings,  printing,  supplies,  etc.  The  depart- 
ment therefore  costs  the  state  $10,700  a  year,  all  told. 


26         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

equipment.  His  main  concern,  in  the  brief  period  at  his 
disposal,  is,  however,  the  teaching  in  progress.  On  the 
basis  of  a  hurried  inspection  advice  is  tendered  to  teach- 
ers, principals,  and  school  officials.  In  addition  to  these 
efforts  to  study  and  to  improve  schools  scattered  through- 
out the  state,  the  Superintendent  frequently  participates 
in  teachers'  meetings  and  civic  conferences.  He  main- 
tains, besides,  an  active  and  voluminous  correspondence 
with  principals,  county  superintendents,  and  County 
School  Board  members  throughout  the  state.  Aside 
from  information  thus  acquired,  the  Superintendent  can 
know  only  what  the  county  authorities  report  to  him. 
But  these  reports  are  of  very  uneven  quality;  and  the  state 
department  can  under  existing  conditions  do  little  either 
to  improve  them  or  to  utilize  the  data  which  they  obtain. 
The  high  school  situation  may  be  cited  to  show  the 
folly  of  not  giving  the  State  Superintendent  staff  enough 
to  ensure  the  wise  expenditure  of  the  state's  money  or  the 
effective  execution  of  the  state's  policy.  In  1910  a 
complete  high  school  reorganization  was  undertaken  on 
the  basis  of  state  aid.  It  was  provided  that,  on  the 
basis  of  reports  made  by  high  school  principals,  and 
inspections  made  by  the  State  Superintendent,  the  high 
schools  should  be  classified  in  two  groups,  those  of  the 
first  group  to  receive  an  annual  maximum  grant  of 
$2,500  each,  those  of  the  second  group  to  receive  an  an- 
nual maximum  grant  of  $1,400  each.1  The  law  provides 

*In  1914  there  were  29  first-class  high  schools,  receiving  from  the  state 
$67,700;  36  second-class  high  schools,  receiving  $50,400. 


THE  STATE  SUPERINTENDENT  27 

that  every  state-aided  high  school  shall  be  inspected 
annually;  if,  on  notification  of  defects,  the  proper  remedial 
steps  are  not  taken,  the  state  subsidy  is  to  cease. 

The  law  thus  creates  for  the  State  Superintendent  the 
opportunity  to  direct  the  high  school  development  of  the 
state.  He  simply  cannot  take  full  advantage  of  this 
opportunity.  The  letter  of  the  law  has  indeed  been  com- 
plied with:  the  Superintendent  or  his  assistant  has  visited 
the  high  schools  once  a  year.  But  the  visit  has  been 
casual,  concerning  itself  with  ascertaining  whether  the 
formal  requirements  of  the  statute  are  complied  with. 
Again,  the  last  General  Assembly  provided  that  no  per- 
son is  to  serve  "as  principal  or  assistant  teacher  (in  a 
state-aided  high  school)  whose  qualifications  have  not 
been  passed  upon  by  the  State  Board  of  Education." 
To  carry  out  the  provisions  of  this  act,  the  Board  will 
need  to  prescribe  the  minimum  qualifications  for  high 
school  teachers,  including  principals,  and  then  to  examine 
the  qualifications  of  the  300  regular  high  school  teachers 
in  service.  Thus  far  the  State  Board  has  failed  to  move, 
not  because  it  is  difficult  to  prescribe  the  minimum 
qualifications  of  high  school  teachers,  but  rather,  as 
we  might  suppose,  because  its  executive  officer,  upon 
whom  the  duty  falls,  lacks  the  necessary  time  and  assist- 
ance. 

One  more  illustration,  taken  from  a  different  field,  that 
of  school  finance,  may  be  worth  giving.  The  public 
schools  of  Maryland  are  supported  partly  by  local  tax- 
ation, partly  by  apportionment  of  a  state  fund.  The 


28         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

State  Superintendent  is  expected  to  safeguard  the  interest 
of  both  the  state  and  the  local  taxpayer  by  examining 
the  accounts  of  county  school  boards  and  reporting 
thereon  to  the  State  Board.  It  was  evidently  intended 
that  the  State  Board  should  thus  exercise  a  reasonable 
control  over  the  finances  of  the  county  boards,  in  refer- 
ence to  acts  omitted  as  well  as  acts  committed.  At  any 
rate,  such  should  be  the  policy  of  the  state.  Though  the 
bookkeeping  of  the  county  boards  is  fixed  except  in 
minor  details  by  the  forms  prescribed  by  the  State  Board 
of  Education,  the  forms  in  use  are  quite  defective.  It  is, 
for  example,  difficult  to  determine  from  them  the  exact 
financial  status  of  a  County  Board,  no  separate  accounts 
being  kept  with  funded  debt,  current  loans,  ordinary 
receipts,  and  the  like.  It  is  even  more  difficult  to  de- 
termine the  expenditure  for  separate  items  such,  fbr 
instance,  as  new  buildings,  repairs,  upkeep,  and  main- 
tenance; and  it  is  quite  impossible  to  tell  what  the  ele- 
mentary schools  and  the  high  schools  are  each  costing. 
The  use  of  antiquated  forms  is  undoubtedly  to  be 
attributed  to  the  lack  of  a  skilled  accountant  in  the 
Superintendent's  office.  And  the  same  lack  accounts  for 
the  fact  that,  having  received  these  reports,  the  State 
Superintendent  can  simply  check  them  up  and  file  them 
away. 

The  moral  of  the  foregoing  discussion  is  obvious.  The 
Superintendent  of  Public  Education  in  Maryland 
cannot  be  the  state's  educational  leader  unless  he  has 
proper  assistance  and  support.  The  office  can  no  longer 


THE  STATE  SUPERINTENDENT  29 

be  conducted  with  its  present  force  or  on  its  present 
allowance.  In  ways  that  will  appear  as  we  proceed,  the 
State  Superintendent  must  be  assisted  by  adding  to  his 
resources  a  few  experts  capable  of  taking  the  field  under 
his  direction  in  charge  of  specialized  activities. 


IV.    THE  COUNTY  SCHOOL  AUTHORITIES 

CENTRAL  control  of  public  education  is  thus,  as 
we  have  now  seen,  in  the  hands  of  the  State  Board 
and  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Education. 
Local  control  is,  in  the  main,  exercised  by  a  board  of 
county  school  commissioners.  The  present  chapter  will 
discuss  the  functions  of  the  local  authorities  and  their  re- 
lations with  the  state  department. 

Three  forms  of  local  educational  administration  are  in 
use  in  this  country:  the  district  system,  the  township 
system,  and  the  county  unit.  Of  these  the  district  and 
the  county  represent  the  two  extremes.  A  word  as  to 
the  district  system  may  assist  us  to  appreciate  the  im- 
portance of  the  form  of  organization  that  Maryland 
possesses. 

Under  the  district  system  every  school,  as  a  rule,  has 
an  independent  board  of  trustees,  which  "runs"  the 
school,  levying  and  collecting  taxes,  erecting  the  school- 
house,  determining  the  length  of  the  term,  prescribing 
the  curriculum,  selecting  text-books,  and  employing  the 
teacher.  The  mere  description  at  once  suggests  the 
defects  of  the  scheme.  In  the  first  place,  no  state  and 
no  county  contains  as  many  persons  qualified  to  manage 
schools  intelligently  as  the  district  system  requires. 

30 


THE  COUNTY  SCHOOL  AUTHORITIES         31 

Again,  the  district  system  accepts  all  sorts  of  inequalities 
in  educational  facilities  and  efforts.  One  district  may 
possess  a  good  school  with  ample  grounds  and  comfort- 
able buildings,  while  in  another,  close  by,  the  school  is 
wretchedly  poor.  No  agency  exists  which  can  diminish 
these  divergencies  by  working  toward  a  general  plan. 
Finally,  teachers  need  teamwork  and  supervision  if  they 
are  to  keep  in  touch  with  professional  progress.  But 
teamwork  and  supervision  presuppose  a  larger  area  than 
the  district.  The  truth  is  that  the  district  school  re- 
flects pioneer  conditions.  It  goes  back  to  the  time  when 
an  isolated  group,  desiring  some  sort  of  education  for  its 
children,  pooled  its  meagre  resources  in  order  to  establish 
a  neighborhood  school.  Increased  wealth,  larger  num- 
bers, improved  communications,  and  more  complicated 
educational  requirements  render  the  district  system  and 
the  district  school  obsolete. 

As  the  county  organization  offers  a  wider  service,  it 
tends  to  attract  able  men  into  the  County  Board;  and  as 
this  body  can  dispose  in  its  discretion  of  the  total  yield 
of  the  county  school  taxes  plus  the  state  apportionment, 
something  like  statesmanship  may  be  employed  in 
locating,  equipping,  and  consolidating  schools.  Educa- 
tional opportunities  can  thus  more  or  less  be  equalized. 
The  situation  may,  in  a  word,  be  viewed  ad  a  whole, 
the  county  schools  forming  a  system  in  the  development 
of  which  intelligence  and  design  may  be  employed — 
provided,  of  course,  the  people  are  wise  enough  to  take 
advantage  of  their  opportunities. 


32         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

Maryland  is  fortunate  in  possessing  the  county  as  the 
educational  unit.  Nevertheless,  it  has  by  no  means 
realized  to  the  full  the  advantages  of  the  county  type 
of  organization,  partly,  as  we  shall  see,  because  political 
and  personal  considerations  are  too  apt  to  influence  the 
selection  and  the  policy  of  commissioners,  partly  because 
in  the  selection  of  teachers  a  vestige  of  the  district  sys- 
tem confuses  and  weakens  administration. 

The  county  boards  of  education  in  Maryland  are 
appointed  by  the  Governor  and  are  composed  of  six  mem- 
bers each  in  six  counties,1  and  of  three  in  the  remaining 
counties.  Continuity  of  service  is  secured  through  a 
six-year  term,  and  through  so  ordering  the  appointments 
that  there  are  at  the  end  of  each  second  year  not  to  ex- 
ceed two  vacancies  in  the  large  counties  and  not  more 
than  one  in  the  small  counties.  The  County  Board  ap- 
points three  district  trustees  for  each  schoolhouse  dis- 
trict. These  district  trustees  are  the  custodians  of  the 
school  property  and  have  the  power  to  select  the  principal 
teacher,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  County  Board. 
All  subordinate  teachers  and  all  high  school  teachers  are 
appointed  by  the  County  Board.  The  district  trustees 
may  also  remove  any  teacher  they  themselves  appoint, 
though  the  teacher  retains  the  right  of  appeal  to  the 
County  Board.  To  these  powers  of  the  district  trustees 
we  shall  have  occasion  later  to  recur. 

The  method  of  appointing  the  members  of  the  County 


counties  are  Baltimore,  Carroll,  Frederick,  Dorchester,  Wash- 
ington,  and  Montgomery. 


THE  COUNTY  SCHOOL  AUTHORITIES        33 

Board  is  open  to  question.  Undoubtedly,  appointment 
by  the  Governor  might  draw  into  service  men  of  character 
and  standing  who  would  not  be  willing  to  wage  an  elec- 
toral campaign  for  the  post.  The  system,  however,  does 
not  always  work  in  that  way.  The  law  provides  that  at 
least  two  of  the  members  in  large  counties  and  at  least 
one  in  small  counties  must  be  of  the  political  party 
defeated  in  the  last  election,  and  that  these  appoint- 
ments must  be  made  "by  and  with  the  advice  and 
consent  of  the  Senate."  These  limitations  make  the 
partisan  consideration  needlessly  prominent;  in  conse- 
quence, appointments  are  viewed  by  local  politicians 
and  local  political  organizations  as  "spoils,"  so  that  the 
County  Board  of  Education  is  almost  everywhere  looked 
upon  as  a  "Democratic"  board  or  as  a  "Republican" 
board,  with  party  allegiance  and  party  interests  to  con- 
sider. Again,  the  "advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate" 
have  come  to  mean,  not  the  approval  of  the  entire  Senate, 
but  the  approval  of  the  local  senator.  Indeed,  to  such  a 
pass  has  senatorial  courtesy  come,  that  the  Senate  flatly 
refuses  to  confirm  an  appointment  not  endorsed  by  the 
local  senator.  And  the  local  senator  is  tempted  to  act 
not  as  the  representative  of  the  people,  but  rather  as  the 
spokesman  of  the  county  political  organization.  The 
office  of  county  school  commissioner  is  thus  usually  re- 
garded as  a  political  office,  the  public  being  for  the  most 
part  indifferent  to  the  dangers  involved  in  this  concep- 
tion. The  county  boards  are  therefore  in  the  main 
seriously  infected  with  politics, 


34         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

In  order  to  discharge  its  functions  the  County  Board 
must  be  in  position  to  procure  adequate  school  funds,  to 
select  the  County  Superintendent,  and,  through  him  and 
his  assistants,  to  provide  suitable  facilities  and  com- 
petent teachers,  whose  work  is  from  time  to  time  in- 
spected and  supervised.  Let  us  now  see  how  the  county 
boards  do  their  work. 

Money  is  the  first  requisite — money  for  buildings,  for 
up-keep,  for  equipment,  for  teachers  and  supervision, 
but  county  school  boards  are  not  "  authorized,  empow- 
ered, directed,  and  required  to  levy  and  collect "  such 
taxes  as  will  be  adequate  to  maintain  an  efficient  school 
system  throughout  the  county.  The  tax-levying  body 
of  the  county  is  the  county  board  of  commissioners,  who 
are  required  under  the  law  to  levy  such  sums  of  money 
as  the  County  School  Board  requests  for  the  schools, 
provided  such  sums  shall  not  exceed  15  cents  on  each 
$100  of  the  taxable  property  of  the  county;  whether  or 
not  the  county  commissioners  shall  levy  any  amount  in 
excess  of  15  cents  is  left  entirely  to  their  discretion. 
Satisfactory  county  schools  cannot  possibly  be  main- 
tained on  a  local  levy  of  15  cents  on  each  $100;  in  fact, 
every  county  of  the  state  spends  in  excess  of  this  rate. 
This  limitation  practically  transfers  the  control  of  school 
finances  from  the  County  School  Board  to  the  county 
commissioners:  thus,  while  the  county  school  boards  are, 
both  by  law  and  by  the  people,  held  responsible  for  the 
schools,  they  are  in  practice  deprived  of  the  financial 
power  to  meet  their  responsibility. 


THE  COUNTY  SCHOOL  AUTHORITIES         35 

The  result  is  easily  foreseen.  The  county  commis- 
sioners are  also  a  political  body.  Elected  as  they  not 
infrequently  are  upon  a  platform  of  economy,  and  having, 
as  is  human,  their  own  political  future  as  well  as  that  of 
their  party  in  view,  they  often  give  scant  attention  to  the 
requests  of  the  county  school  boards  for  funds  in  excess  of 
15  cents  on  the  $100,  quite  regardless  of  the  merits  of  the 
application.  The  records  of  every  county  in  the  state 
show  how  seldom  the  full  requests  of  the  school  boards 
for  funds  are  granted  by  the  county  commissioners. 
Here  and  there  a  school  board,  on  easy  terms  with  the 
commissioners,  makes  no  formal  request  for  funds;  the 
subject  is  talked  over  informally  and  an  agreement 
reached.  Elsewhere,  requests  are  cut  year  after  year, 
even  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  in  some  instances  the 
schools  are  kept  open  by  county  boards  by  means  of 
current  loans.  Where  the  commissioners  and  the 
majority  of  the  school  board  happen  to  be  of  the  same 
political  faith,  the  school  board  members  are  at  times 
asked  to  modify  their  requests  on  the  grounds  of  party 
loyalty  or  political  expediency.  Even  the  county 
superintendents  do  not  escape.  Persons  with  powerful 
political  connections  have  been  known  to  appeal  to  them, 
to  reclassify  teachers,  in  order  to  lower  their  salaries,  and 
thus  reduce  the  amount  of  money  needed  by  the  County 
School  Board.  In  one  instance  that  came  to  our  notice 
the  teachers  were  actually  reclassified;  in  another,  occur- 
ring in  the  spring  of  1915,  be  it  said  to  the  honor  of  the 
Superintendent,  the  intermediary  was  defied  to  do  his 


36         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

worst.  To  protect  the  schools  against  such  dangers, 
five  of  the  larger  counties  of  the  state  have  secured  from 
the  General  Assembly  special  legislation  rendering  man- 
datory a  higher  levy  by  the  board  of  county  commissioners 
than  that  provided  by  the  general  law.  Thus,  Allegany 
may  make  a  levy  of  31  cents  on  $100  for  usual  expenses, 
and  an  additional  7  cents  for  buildings;  Baltimore  County 
may  levy  31  cents  and  9  cents,  respectively;  while  Mont- 
gomery County  requires  its  county  commissioners  to 
meet  any  demand  made  by  the  school  board  for  the 
support  of  the  elementary  schools.  In  Frederick  and 
Prince  George  counties  the  school  authorities  secured 
local  laws  providing  for  larger  teachers'  salaries,  and  the 
county  commissioners  are  required  to  levy  the  necessary 
funds. 

The  most  serious  difficulties  are  usually  encountered 
when  funds  are  requested  for  the  erection  of  new  school- 
houses.  A  few  boards  of  county  commissioners  make 
such  allowance,  but  only  a  few.  It  does  not  follow  that 
the  rest  get  no  money  at  all  for  new  buildings;  they  get  it, 
however,  in  ways  that  are  roundabout  and  inefficient. 
Two  counties — Allegany  and  Baltimore — have  procured 
from  the  legislature  laws  compelling  the  commissioners  to 
make  a  separate  levy  for  buildings.  But  in  the  majority 
of  counties  almost  all  the  money  spent  on  new  buildings 
within  the  last  half  decade  has  been  wrung  from  the 
county  commissioners  through  special  laws,  requiring  a 
levy  or  a  bond  issue.  Indeed,  some  counties — for  ex- 
ample, Calvert,  Charles,  and  St.  Mary's,  have  had  to 


THE  COUNTY  SCHOOL  AUTHORITIES         37 

appeal  to  the  General  Assembly  to  secure  funds  even  for 
the  erection  of  schoolhouses  costing  less  than  $600. 

The  methods  used  by  the  county  commissioners  in 
granting  funds  aid  them  to  shirk  their  responsibility. 
The  requests  of  the  school  boards  are  as  a  rule  presented 
by  items;  definite  sums  are  asked  for  new  buildings,  for 
maintenance,  for  teachers,  etc.  But  the  county  com- 
missioners, as  a  rule,  make  a  lump  allowance,  less  than  the 
total  sum  asked  for,  and  generally  omit  to  state  which 
items  have  been  granted  in  full  and  which  cut  or  refused 
altogether.  This  lump  sum  includes,  ordinarily,  enough 
for  teachers'  salaries  and  operating  expenses;  but  for 
years  in  certain  counties — Calvert  and  Charles,  for  in- 
stance— little  has  been  provided  even  for  repairs,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  betterment  of  the  plant,  the  commissioners 
trusting  to  the  members  of  the  County  School  Board  to 
use  their  own  ingenuity  in  keeping  the  schools  open  and 
some  kind  of  roof  over  the  heads  of  the  children.  To 
check  this  way  of  escaping  responsibility,  Montgomery 
County  obtained  special  legislation  which  provides  for  a 
detailed  school  budget  and  compels  the  county  commis- 
sioners to  make  their  allowances  by  items. 

Such  funds  as  the  school  boards  obtain  are  usually 
administered  with  somewhat  more  than  ordinary  effi- 
ciency. Engaged  in  business  and  in  commercial  farming, 
as  the  great  majority  of  the  members  are,  it  is  natural 
that  they  should  take  a  close  interest  in  the  business 
aspects  of  education.  The  county  unit  facilitates  the 
use  of  intelligent  methods  of  accounting,  and  perhaps 


38         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

explains  the  introduction  of  a  uniform  accounting  system 
throughout  the  state.  Bills  are  audited  by  the  Board 
members,  and  accounts  are  kept  by  the  County  Superin- 
tendent, the  assistant  superintendent,  or  the  clerk.  In  a 
few  cases — Allegany  County,  for  instance — these  ac- 
counts are  examined  monthly  by  an  outside  accountant; 
usually,  however,  this  outside  audit  is  made  once  a  year, 
as  in  Howard  County;  however,  there  are  a  few  counties 
— Garrett  is  an  example — where  no  audit  at  all  is  made 
by  an  outside  agency. 

More  or  less  uniformity  of  method  has  also  been  de- 
veloped in  handling  routine  matters  of  school  supplies, 
fuel,  and  repairs.  In  some  counties  a  blank  is  employed 
by  the  district  trustees  to  indicate  to  the  County  Board 
what  repairs,  etc.,  are  deemed  necessary.  Elsewhere  the 
County  Board  members  make  visits  with  the  County 
Superintendent  to  decide  what  repairs  are  to  be  under- 
taken. Occasionally  as  much  as  a  week  is  thus  spent. 
On  jobs  of  sufficient  magnitude  competitive  bids  are 
received.  Work  done  under  contract  is  supervised  by 
the  County  Superintendent  or  his  assistant;  if  a  local  man 
is  employed  he  is  more  often  subject  to  the  direction  of 
the  district  trustees.  In  our  judgment  these  details  are, 
as  a  rule,  honestly  and  efficiently  managed. 

The  building  problem  has  been  less  happily  handled. 
The  situation  is  obviously  not  a  simple  one.  Funds  are 
limited;  old  buildings  can  neither  be  torn  down  nor 
reconstructed  to  keep  pace  with  modern  notions  of 
construction,  as  to  size  of  classrooms,  lighting,  cloak- 


THE  COUNTY  SCHOOL  AUTHORITIES        39 

rooms,  heating  arrangements,  closets,  etc.  On  the  other 
hand,  these  difficulties  make  it  all  the  more  imperative 
that  new  buildings  should  be  soundly  planned  and  that 
repairs  and  remodelling  should  be  carried  on  with  up-to- 
date  models  in  mind.  The  State  Department  should 
exercise  a  general  control  over  building  operations,  as  it 
does  in  Minnesota,  for  example.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
the  state  has  no  policy  and  only  a  few  counties,  Allegany, 
Baltimore,  Wicomico,  and  Queen  Anne's,  among  them, 
handle  this  problem  with  intelligence.  As  for  the  rest, 
schoolhouses  of  obsolete  type  are  still  constructed,  just 
as  though  standard  types,  soundly  planned  in  respect  to 
light,  hygiene,  drainage,  etc.,  had  not  been  evolved  and 
were  not  elsewhere  in  use.  District  School  No.  3,  re- 
cently built  in  the  third  school  district  of  Calvert  County, 
shows  less  appreciation  of  sound  principles  of  school 
architecture  than  was  shown  in  the  erection  of  certain 
schoolhouses  in  the  same  county  fifty  years  ago ;  the  new 
consolidated  schoolhouse  at  Clarksville,  Howard  County, 
ignores  the  principles  of  good  lighting;  city  school  build- 
ings costing  from  $12,000  to  $15,000  and  disregarding 
modern  ideas  as  to  hygiene  and  sanitation  have  recently 
been  erected  at  North  East,  Cecil  County;  at  St.  Mich- 
aels, Talbot  County;  at  Accident,  Garrett  County,  and 
at  Federalsburg,  Caroline  County. 

Highly  objectionable  is  a  practice,  not  altogether  in- 
frequent, by  which  both  County  Board  and  County 
Superintendent  have  been  completely  deprived  of  con- 
trol in  certain  cases.  Buildings  were  needed,  for  example, 


40         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

at  Hyattsville,  Prince  George  County,  and  at  Kennedy- 
ville,  Kent  County.  The  county  commissioners  refused 
the  necessary  funds.  " Influential"  citizens  then  ap- 
pealed to  the  General  Assembly  which  was  thus  induced 
to  pass  special  legislation  making  mandatory  upon  the 
county  commissioners  the  raising  of  the  sum  desired. 
In  both  the  instances  under  discussion  the  acts  named  a 
local  committee  to  have  charge  of  the  construction. 
Such  legislation  is  absolutely  pernicious.  It  encourages 
legislative  favoritism  and  log-rolling,  destroys  local  re- 
sponsibility, discourages  systematic  planning  by  the 
county  authorities,  lodges  control  in  inexpert  hands,  and 
in  the  end  produces  an  obsolete  school  building  at  great 
expense.  For  this  reason  the  buildings  erected  at 
Hyattsville  and  Kennedyville  are  defective  in  respect  to 
ventilating,  lighting,  and  internal  arrangement. 

We  have  already  mentioned  the  fact  that  the  county 
school  boards  appoint  district  school  trustees,  who  choose 
and  may  remove  the  principal  teacher.  Politically 
selected  county  boards  are,  of  course,  apt  to  choose  the 
district  trustees  on  a  partisan  basis.  The  way  is  thus 
open  for  the  introduction  of  politics  into  the  management 
of  every  school.  As  a  rule,  the  district  trustees  do  little. 
They  do  not  meet  to  talk  over  school  affairs  with  the 
teacher;  they  take  no  especial  interest  in  the  schoolhouse 
or  the  school  grounds.  They  wake  up,  however,  when  a 
teacher  is  to  be  appointed  or  dismissed,  but  the  danger  is 
great  that  their  action  will  not  be  based  purely  on  educa- 
tional considerations. 


THE  COUNTY  SCHOOL  AUTHORITIES        41 

We  have  in  a  previous  chapter  discussed  the  relation 
of  the  State  Board  of  Education  to  the  State  Superintend- 
ent; its  counterpart  is  to  be  found  in  the  relation  of  the 
County  Board  to  the  County  Superintendent.  The 
County  Board  is  a  small,  lay,  unpaid  body,  composed  of 
farmers,  business  men,  physicians,  or  lawyers,  more  or  less 
interested  in  public  education  and  more  or  less  competent 
to  look  after  it  in  a  general  way,  but  necessarily  without 
professional  knowledge  or  experience.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances, while  accepting  from  the  state  department 
their  general  policies,  they  look  to  the  county  superin- 
tendent for  local  leadership.  Thus  far,  we  have  dis- 
cussed mainly  the  composition  of  the  county  boards  and 
the  transaction  of  certain  business  matters — the  raising 
of  funds  and  the  erection  of  buildings — as  to  all  of  which 
we  conclude  that  Maryland  derives  less  benefit  than  it 
should  and  might  from  its  superior  type  of  school  admin- 
istration. There  remain  to  be  considered  the  ways  in 
which  the  county  boards  discharge  their  specifically 
educational  responsibilities.  This  can,  however,  be  most 
advantageously  discussed  in  connection  with  the  County 
Superintendent,  to  which  subject  the  next  chapter  will 
be  devoted. 


V.  THE  COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENT  OF 
SCHOOLS 

THE  County  Superintendent  of  Schools  occupies 
in  respect  to  the  county  schools  the  same  posi- 
tion as  the  City  Superintendent  occupies  in 
respect  to  the  city  schools.  He  is  the  expert  adviser  of 
the  County  School  Board  on  all  matters  of  educational 
policy;  he  supplies  professional  inspiration  to  the  teaching 
staff  of  the  county;  he  must  be  the  organizer  and  leader  of 
public  opinion  if  increasing  popular  support  and  inter- 
est are  to  be  won.  In  addition,  as  secretary- treasurer  of 
the  County  Board  he  is  its  business  representative  and 
executive  agent  in  financial  and  other  matters. 

What  kind  of  person  must  the  County  Superintendent 
be  if  he  is  to  fulfill  these  specifications?  If  the  County 
Superintendent  is  to  be  the  source  of  professional  inspira- 
tion and  popular  leadership,  he  must  be  a  trained  educa- 
tor, familiar  with  modern  ideas  as  to  curriculum,  method, 
and  supervision;  he  must  be  a  man  of  weight  in  the 
community;  he  must  command  the  respect  of  the  County 
Board;  and  he  must  hold  his  office  long  enough  to  develop 
an  educational  program.  Even  so,  it  is  clear  that 
no  one  person  can  himself  perform  all  the  duties  of 
the  County  Superintendent.  The  County  Superintend- 

42 


THE  COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENT  43 

ent  must  therefore  have  at  least  a  minimum  of  clerical 
and  professional  assistance — a  specialized  " staff"  of 
modest  proportions. 

Now,  what  are  the  facts?  The  county  superintend- 
ents are  elected  by  the  politically  constituted  county 
boards.  The  politicians  view  the  county  siiperin tend- 
ency as  "  spoils, "  and  in  most  counties  the  indifference  of 
the  people  permits  them  to  dispose  of  it  on  that  basis. 
A  general  election,  bringing  about  a  change  in  party 
control,  is  scarcely  over  before  political  candidates  are 
brought  forth  and  " groomed"  for  this  important  office. 
In  the  four  years  during  which  the  Republicans  were  in 
power — 1896-1900 — new  county  superintendents  were 
chosen  in  19  out  of  the  23  counties  of  the  state,  1 1  of  them 
in  the  very  year  when  the  county  school  boards  became 
Republican.  In  the  first  year  of  the  new  Democratic 
administration  of  1900,  16  new  county  superintendents 
were  appointed,  whereas  during  the  ensuing  n  years, 
aside  from  removals  by  death,  there  was  a  total  of  only 
1 1  changes.  Similarly,  the  first  three  years  of  the  present 
Republican  control  witnessed  the  election  of  12  new 
superintendents.  Some  of  these  changes  were  indeed 
for  the  better;  but  as  long  as  a  political  upset  is  the 
inciting  cause,  there  can  be  no  certainty  that  changes 
will  insure  to  the  public  advantage.  Luckily,  these 
deplorable  conditions  are  not  universal.  In  a  few — a 
very  few — counties,  politics,  as  we  shall  shortly  see,  play 
no  part  in  either  the  selection  or  retention  of  the  county 
superintendents.  While  a  dozen  superintendents  have 


44         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

served  three  years  or  less,  three  have  been  in  office  for 
fourteen  years. 

Though  nothing  can  be  said  in  extenuation  of  the 
county  boards,  in  so  far  as  their  choice  of  the  County 
Superintendent  is  influenced  by  political  considerations, 
it  must  in  fairness  be  added  that  highly  desirable  candi- 
dates would  not  be  likely  to  covet  the  post  in  most 
counties  under  existing  circumstances.  The  law  makes 
no  stipulations  as  to  the  professional  qualifications  or  the 
salary  of  the  incumbent.  Of  23  county  superintendents, 
one  receives  $5,000  a  year,  one  $3,000,  one  $2,250.  Of 
the  remaining  20,  one  receives  $800  a  year,  6  receive  from 
$1,200  to  $1,500,  and  13  from  $1,600  to  $2,000.  In  addi- 
tion there  is  an  allowance  of  from  $100  to  $500  for  ex- 
penses incurred  in  visiting  schools,  though  Garrett 
County  makes  no  allowance,  and  Harford  and  St.  Mary's 
only  $25.  One  cannot  be  surprised,  therefore,  to  find  that 
such  positions  have  not  attracted  trained  men.  In- 
deed, three  county  superintendents  have  had  less  than  a 
high  school  education  and  four  of  them  never  went  be- 
yond the  high  school.  Only  one  of  the  seven  has  added 
to  his  initial  preparation,  and  he  only  to  the  extent  of  six 
weeks  at  a  summer  school.  Of  those  remaining,  one  is  a 
normal  school  graduate  with  a  summer  term  of  profes- 
sional work.  Though  fifteen  hold  college  and  university 
degrees,  yet  not  more  than  six  of  the  fifteen  have  made 
special  and  professional  preparation  for  their  work. 

Conditions  are  aggravated  by  the  almost  universal 
lack  of  competent  assistants.  The  law,  while  permitting 


THE  COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENT  45 

the  county  boards  to  expend  thousands  annually  in  their 
discretion,  forbids  the  employment  of  even  a  clerk  to 
assist  the  Superintendent,  unless  the  number  of  teachers 
in  the  county  exceeds  85;  an  assistant  superintendent 
may  not  be  employed  unless  the  number  of  teachers  ex- 
ceeds 175.  Hence,  five  counties  depend  almost  entirely 
upon  the  County  Superintendent  alone,  employing  only 
occasional  and  temporary  clerical  assistance.  Six  out 
of  the  twenty-three  have  assistant  superintendents,  and 
supervisors  are  found  in  four.  In  only  three  counties — 
Baltimore,  Frederick,  and  Allegany — are  the  offices 
ample  and  well-equipped;  elsewhere  space  is  often 
meagre  and  equipment  usually  limited.  One-fourth  of 
the  county  superintendents  have  but  one  room,  often 
a  small  one  at  that,  which  serves  alike  as  a  store-house 
for  school  supplies,  as  meeting-place  for  the  County 
Board,  and  as  general  office. 

Let  us  now  see  what  happens.  The  County  Superin- 
tendent is,  in  the  first  place,  the  custodian  of  the  records 
of  the  County  Board.  He  conducts  the  correspondence 
with  district  trustees,  teachers,  patrons,  and  the  general 
public.  He  arranges  the  business  to  be  considered  at 
the  regular  monthly  or  special  meetings  and  keeps  min- 
utes of  the  proceedings.  He  collects  such  statistics  from 
the  schools  as  are  required,  answers  all  inquiries  for  in- 
formation, and  prepares  the  annual  report  submitted  to 
the  State  Department  of  Education.  As  treasurer  he  has 
charge  of  funds  varying  from  $28,000  annually  in  the 
smallest  to  $660,000  in  the  largest  county.  He  receives. 


46         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

and  when  audited  by  the  Board  members  pays,  all  bills; 
keeps  all  accounts;  purchases,  collects,  and  distributes  text- 
books and  educational  material,  and  prepares  the  annual 
budget  to  be  presented  to  the  county  commissioners. 

For  lack  of  assistance  and  of  facilities,  clerical  work 
is  too  often  poorly  performed.  In  seven  or  eight  coun- 
ties at  most — Baltimore,  Allegany,  Frederick,  Harford, 
Washington,  Wicomico,  Talbot,  and  Queen  Anne's — 
order  prevails.  In  half  a  dozen  more  the  work  is  fairly 
well  done.  Elsewhere  there  is  a  total  lack  of  system. 
Teachers'  examination  records  are  indeed  preserved, 
but  they  are  inaccessible;  school  reports  are  merely 
bundled  together  and  filed,  little  use  being  made  of  them, 
and  data  are  almost  never  collected  as  to  why  children 
do  not  receive  promotion  or  why  they  attend  school 
irregularly.  The  financial  accounts,  however,  be  it 
said,  while  frequently  handled  in  an  unbusinesslike  man- 
ner, are  nevertheless  carefully  and  accurately  kept. 

The  more  purely  educational  duties  begin  with  main- 
tenance of  the  school  plant.  In  the  smallest  county  of 
the  state — Calvert — the  County  Superintendent  must 
supervise  54  buildings,  scattered  over  216  miles  of  terri- 
tory, and  in  the  largest  (Baltimore)  181,  scattered  over 
an  area  of  650  square  miles.  District  trustees,  being 
the  immediate  custodians  of  their  respective  school- 
houses,  may  spend  on  their  own  authority  upon  upkeep 
and  repairs  $5  in  any  one  term;  larger  expenditures  can 
be  made  only  after  authorization  by  the  County  Board. 
Hence,  anything  costing  more  than  five  dollars — whether 


Substantial,  but  unsanitary  and  unhygienic  rural  school — one  of  many 


Ancient  desks  still  in  use 


THE  COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENT  47 

a  new  fence,  the  grading  of  the  school  grounds,  the  re- 
pair of  an  outhouse,  the  roofing  or  painting  of  the  school- 
house,  a  new  stove  or  new  furniture,  is  referred  to  the 
County  School  Board,  and  the  duty  of  attending  to  such 
matters  devolves  upon  the  County  Superintendent,  who 
investigates  and  reports  upon  the  need,  makes  the 
necessary  purchases,  and  supervises  work  done  under 
contract.  If  a  new  building  is  to  be  erected  the  County 
Superintendent  bears  the  burden  of  acquiring  the 
ground,  drawing  the  plan,  letting  the  contract,  and  look- 
ing after  the  construction  and  equipment. 

Here,  then,  is  a  second  field  of  operations,  much  more 
technical  in  character,  and  sufficiently  extensive  to  con- 
sume almost  all  the  County  Superintendent's  time  and 
energy.  With  what  results?  It  was  stated  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter  that  neither  the  state  nor  the  county 
pursued  or  could,  with  its  present  staff,  pursue  a  definite 
and  intelligent  policy  in  regard  to  new  school  buildings. 
With  respect  to  sanitation  and  hygiene  there  is  not 
lacking  evidence  that  recent  agitation  has  had  a  bene- 
ficial effect.  School  grounds  have  here  and  there  been 
cleared  of  underbrush,  outhouses  have  been  cleaned  and 
whitewashed,  and  old  buildings  have  been  repaired, 
painted,  and  redecorated.  Nevertheless,  it  remains  true 
that  a  thoroughly  decent  and  comfortable  rural  school 
plant,  consisting  of  a  neat  school  building,  a  clean  yard, 
and  sanitary  outhouses  is  exceptional  There  are  in  the 
state  1,935  school  buildings  for  white  children,  550  for 
colored.  In  the  course  of  this  investigation  500  of  the 


48          PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

former  were  visited,  50  of  the  latter.  Perhaps  8  per 
cent,  of  those  visited  may  be  called  satisfactory. 

The  duties  thus  far  considered — those  of  the  Secretary 
and  Treasurer  of  the  County  Board  and  those  of  the  cus- 
todian of  the  school  plant,  consume  at  least  three-fourths 
of  the  time  of  the  majority  of  the  county  superintendents 
and  not  less  than  half  of  the  time  of  the  others.  More- 
over, if  the  school  plant  is  to  be  kept  in  proper  order,  this 
drain  will  increase  rather  than  diminish.  In  the  smaller 
counties  relief  can  be  furnished  by  providing  clerical 
assistance  in  the  office  and  a  reliable,  all-round  mechanic 
for  the  field.  The  larger  counties  might  well  follow  the 
example  of  the  cities,  that  is,  employ  a  secretary- treasurer 
to  care  for  the  clerical  work  and  the  accounts  of  the 
Board,  a  business  manager  to  look  after  the  physical  side 
of  the  schools,  and  a  Superintendent,  directly  responsible 
for  the  secretary-treasurer  and  the  business  manager, 
yet  free  to  devote  his  major  energies  to  the  educational 
conduct  of  the  system. 

Important  as  are  good  records  and  neat  schoolhouses, 
the  really  significant  duties  of  the  County  Superintend- 
ent are  educational.  One-half  the  teachers  in  the  rural 
schools  enter  the  service  by  way  of  the  county  examina- 
tions which  he  conducts.  Do  these  examinations  select 
the  best  talent  available?  Do  they  direct  the  candidate's 
attention  in  the  right  direction? 

How  could  they?  How  can  an  untrained  County 
Superintendent  examine  sensibly  and  judiciously  the 
candidates  for  teaching  positions?  How  can  an  un- 


\ \v\ 


Unsanitary,  unhygienic,  and  neglected  outhouses 


THE  COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENT  49 

trained  County  Superintendent  indicate  by  the  character 
of  the  examination  the  line  of  preparation  which  pros- 
pective teachers  should  follow?  The  situation,  be  it 
granted,  is  not  easy.  Salaries  are  low — ranging  from  an 
average  of  $271  a  year  in  St.  Mary's  to  $662  a  year  in 
Baltimore  County.  Three  counties  pay  an  average  of 
less  than  $300;  four  less  than  $350;  seven  less  than 
$400;  seven  less  than  $450;  and  only  two,  Allegany  and 
Baltimore,  pay  in  excess  of  $450.  In  counties  with  few 
or  poor  high  schools  the  probable  candidates  will  be  the 
abler  boys  and  girls  who  have  lingered  an  extra  year  in 
the  grades  or  in  the  rural  schools;  high  school  graduates 
will  be  applicants  only  in  counties  well  supplied  with 
secondary  school  facilities.  But  these  inherent  difficul- 
ties make  it  all  the  more  important  that  the  County 
Superintendent  should  be  able,  by  reason  of  his  training 
and  experience,  to  make  the  best  of  a  bad  situation.  The 
untrained  official  does  not  and  cannot  do  this. 

He  fails  also,  and  for  the  same  reason,  to  use  such 
opportunities  as  he  possesses  for  the  improvement  of  his 
teaching  corps.  Teacher  certificates  issued  by  the  County 
Superintendent  on  the  basis  of  the  examinations  just  dis- 
cussed are,  in  the  first  instance,  probationary,  good  for 
only  six  months.  At  the  end  of  this  period  the  County 
Superintendent  may  cancel  the  certificate,  require  an- 
other examination,  or  issue,  in  lieu  of  the  probationary 
certificate,  one  valid  for  five  years.  The  discretion  of 
the  County  Superintendent  in  respect  to  the  re- 
examination  of  teachers  thus  gives  him  the  power  to  in- 


So  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

sist  upon  further  professional  preparation.  He  possesses 
also  an  even  more  potent  instrument.  The  minimum 
salary  law  of  1910  guaranteed  to  teachers  ranked  by  the 
County  Superintendent  as  first  class  a  higher  minimum 
wage  than  was  provided  for  other  teachers.  Thus  a 
positive  financial  inducement  was  offered  to  all  teachers 
to  improve  themselves.  Wherever  county  superintend- 
ents have  dared  to  use  their  legitimate  authority  the 
effect  has  been  excellent.  The  enrolment  in  the  Mary- 
land Teachers'  Reading  Circle  has  increased,  the  Teach- 
ers' Institute  and  Teachers'  Meetings  have  been  taken 
more  seriously,  and  teachers  in  larger  numbers  have  at 
their  own  expense  attended  the  summer  session  of  nor- 
mal schools  and  colleges. 

Unfortunately,  however,  very  few  county  superin- 
tendents have  acted.  The  holder  of  the  probationary 
certificate  is  seldom  dropped  and  only  occasionally  re- 
examined.  The  salary  bonus  is  also  usually  wasted. 
Partly  because  of  the  lack  of  professional  ideals,  partly 
because  of  the  generally  low  salary  scale,  superintendents 
commonly  award  the  salary  increase  to  teachers  of  long 
service  and  local  favor  instead  of  using  it  as  a  lever  to 
lift  the  profession.  On  the  whole,  therefore,  it  is  fair 
to  say  that  the  County  Superintendent  usually  leaves  the 
teaching  profession  just  about  where  he  finds  it. 

The  teacher  is  the  first — and  the  most  important — 
factor  in  securing  good  teaching.  The  second  is  supervi- 
sion. The  teachers  of  a  school  or  of  a  school  system  are 
molded  into  an  efficient  team  animated  by  one  purpose 


THE  COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENT  51 

and  working  toward  a  common  end  very  largely  by  the 
pressure,  guidance,  and  inspiration  of  the  supervisors. 
It  is  one  of  the  advantages  of  large  cities  that  supervision 
is  easily  provided;  it  is  among  the  most  serious  flaws  in 
the  district  system  that  supervision  is  well-nigh  impossi- 
ble. Maryland's  county  educational  organization  fa- 
cilitates effective  supervision,  embracing  town  and 
country  schools  alike.  For  the  area  is  large,  the  schools 
varied  in  type,  the  financial  resources  more  or  less  sub- 
stantial, and  the  authority  of  the  County  Board  unques- 
tioned. But  even  a  trained  Superintendent  cannot,  in 
addition  to  his  other  duties,  take  upon  himself,  except 
in  the  very  smallest  counties,  the  details  of  classroom 
supervision.  He  requires  for  this  purpose  a  small  but 
highly  specialized  staff. 

Once  more,  the  possibilities  of  the  situation  are  in  this 
matter  almost  entirely  unrealized.  Supervisors,  includ- 
ing assistant  superintendents,  are  employed  in  only 
7  of  the  23  counties1;  and  of  the  assistant  superintendents, 
two,  perhaps  one  might  say  three,  are  engaged  in  clerical 
work.  To  be  sure,  in  addition  to  these  7  counties,  one 
county  uses  a  portion  of  the  state  appropriation  for 
Colored  Industrial  Schools  to  employ  a  part-time  super- 
visor2 and  another  is  making  a  limited  use  of  high  school 
teachers3  for  the  same  purpose.  In  short,  the  teachers 

^llegany,  Baltimore,  Caroline,  Dorchester,  Frederick,  Montgomery, 
and  Prince  George. 
2 Anne  Arundel. 
Anne. 


52         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

of  1 6  out  of  the  23  counties  receive  no  supervisory  as- 
sistance other  than  that  given  by  the  County  Superin- 
tendent, and  but  three  counties,  Allegany,  Baltimore, 
and  Frederick  have  anything  like  an  adequate  super- 
visory force.  The  failure  to  provide  adequate  super- 
vision is  attributed  by  the  county  boards  to  the  lack  of 
funds.  Too  true.  But  lack  of  funds  is  not  fundamental. 
At  bottom  lack  of  supervision  is  due  in  most  counties, 
not  so  much  to  financial  inability,  as  to  a  lack  of  appre- 
ciation of  the  significance  of  efficient  supervision  on  the 
part  of  the  Board  and  of  the  Superintendent  who  has 
failed  to  lead  the  Board. 

Of  the  three  counties  above  mentioned  Baltimore 
County  must  be  singled  out  for  especial  commendation. 
The  County  Superintendent  is  a  man  of  experience  and 
modern  training;  and  he  is  aided  by  a  corps  of  supervisors, 
including  an  assistant  superintendent,  a  primary  super- 
visor with  an  assistant,  a  grammar  grade  supervisor 
with  an  assistant,  a  manual  training  supervisor,  a  domes- 
tic science  supervisor,  and,  finally,  a  supervisor  of  rural 
schools.  Working  as  a  team,  they  have  not  only  im- 
proved the  schools,  they  have  also  developed  a  public 
sentiment  which  demands  increasingly  better  schools, 
better  instruction,  better  trained  and  better  paid  teach- 
ers. The  teaching  body  of  the  county  is  permeated  by 
genuine  enthusiasm.  Every  improvement  effected  makes 
itself  felt  practically  throughout  the  county.  The  situ- 
ation is,  of  course,  still  far  from  homogeneous,  but  it  is 
developing  steadily  in  the  right  direction.  What  Balti- 


THE  COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENT  53 

more  County  has  accomplished  cannot  be  literally  dupli- 
cated in  counties  with  more  limited  resources.  But 
every  county  in  Maryland  could,  up  to  the  limits  of 
its  financial  ability,  do  the  kind  of  thing  that  Baltimore 
County  does.  At  bottom  it  depends  on  the  competency 
of  the  County  Superintendent. 

In  counties  without  supervisors,  whatever  there  is  of 
personal  supervision  depends  upon  the  county  superin- 
tendents who  are  required  by  law  to  visit  the  schools. 
But  the  number  of  reported  visits  is  no  index  to  the 
amount  of  effective  supervision  performed.  These  visits 
are  usually  brief  and  of  a  business  or  inspectorial  char- 
acter. The  Superintendent  calls  to  look  after  the 
physical  plant  or  to  classify  a  teacher  on  the  basis  of  a 
hasty  inspection.  This  is  not  "supervision"  in  the 
sense  which  the  term  bears  in  these  pages. 

The  County  Superintendent  also  comes  into  touch 
with  the  teaching  force  at  the  teachers'  meetings  and 
conferences  held  throughout  the  state  at  least  quarterly. 
Here  again  one  notices  the  difference  between  counties 
lacking  and  counties  possessing  proper  supervision.  In 
the  former  the  occasion  is  apt  to  be  devoted  to  generali- 
ties— to  the  discussion  of  plans  or  to  exhortations  on 
general  lines.  In  the  supervised  counties  the  confer- 
ences between  Superintendent,  supervisory  staff,  and 
teaching  body  are  of  an  intensive  character.  Definite 
problems  are  formulated  and  presented.  A  lesson 
actually  given  by  way  of  illustrating  the  use  of  materials 
and  methods  of  presentation  is  made  the  basis  of  dis- 


54         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

cussion.  Or  the  teachers  are  divided  into  groups  accord- 
ing as  they  teach  in  rural  or  urban  schools,  in  the  lower 
or  in  the  upper  grades,  and  attention  is  centred  upon 
questions  of  interest  to  particular  groups.  With  one  group 
it  may  be  discipline,  with  another  how  to  teach  beginners 
reading,  and  with  still  another  what  arithmetic  should 
be  taught.  The  County  Superintendent  can  thus  em- 
ploy the  strong  teachers  to  strengthen  the  weak.  The 
entire  body  is  in  this  way  professionalized.  But,  obvi- 
ously, such  organization  and  endeavor  presuppose  a 
trained  leader  and  a  trained  staff. 

In  still  another  important  respect  is  the  County  Super- 
intendent charged  with  direct  responsibility  for  the  work 
of  the  classroom.  He  is  required  by  law  to  prepare  semi- 
annual examination  questions  for  all  the  schools  of  the 
county,  the  second,  or  June  examination,  serving  as  the 
basis  of  promotion.  Now  examinations  may  serve 
several  purposes:  they  may,  for  instance,  ascertain  what 
children  know  and  how  freely  they  can  use  their  knowl- 
edge; but  their  main  function  is  to  guide  the  teacher; 
for  by  the  examinations  he  sets,  the  County  Superin- 
tendent tells  the  teacher  the  kind  of  instruction  she  should 
give,  the  things  she  should  emphasize,  and  the  habits  of 
thought  and  action  in  which  children  should  be  trained. 

As  one  would  expect  from  our  account  of  the  quali- 
fications and  resources  of  the  county  superintendents, 
the  current  examinations  belong  in  most  counties  to  an 
obsolete  type.  By  demanding  from  children  isolated  and 
unrelated  facts  and  meaningless  definitions,  they  do  in- 


More  outhouses 


THE  COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENT  55 

calculable  harm  to  instruction.  As  the  child's  failure  or 
promotion  depends  upon  them,  even  teachers  capable 
of  something  better  are  forced  to  defer  to  them.  They 
must,  therefore,  rush  their  pupils  in  the  most  superficial 
manner  over  the  assignment  for  the  year,  in  order  to 
have  three  and  even  four  months  free  for  the  reviews 
necessary  for  the  June  examination.  It  is  indeed  not 
uncommon  for  teachers  to  give  children  the  task  of  find- 
ing the  answers  to  sets  of  examination  questions  running 
back  for  years  and  to  have  them  write  out  these  answers 
and  commit  them  to  memory,  as  an  effective  preparation 
for  the  coming  tests! 

A  single  topic  remains  to  be  briefly  considered  before 
this  chapter  can  be  brought  to  a  close.  The  law  re- 
quires the  preparation  and  publication  annually  of  a 
county  school  report,  exhibiting  the  financial  transac- 
tions of  the  Board  and  containing  data  bearing  on  enrol- 
ment, attendance,  etc.  The  county  report  might  be  an 
attractive  document,  serving  as  a  means  of  communica- 
tion between  the  Board  and  the  community.  It  might 
depict  conditions,  record  progress,  explain  policy,  and 
stimulate  interest.  It  does,  as  a  rule,  nothing  of  the 
sort.  The  county  reports  are  usually  in  Maryland — as 
elsewhere — dull  pamphlets  throwing  little  light  on  educa- 
tional problems. 

In  the  course  of  our  description  and  criticism  of  the 
County  Superintendent  the  needs  of  the  situation  have 
been  clearly  implied.  Effective  schools  require  skilled 
and  specialized  leadership.  Maryland  must  define  in  the 


56         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

statute  the  qualifications  of  the  County  Superintendent. 
It  must  go  into  the  open  market  to  get  him.  Having 
found  him,  the  county  must  give  him  a  decent  salary, 
assured  tenure,  and  at  least  a  minimum  of  clerical  and 
professional  help. 


VI.    THE  TEACHERS 

BOARDS,  whether  state  or  county,  superintend- 
ents and  supervisors,  all  have  their  part  to  play 
in  education;  but  they  strive  to  little  purpose, 
except  through  well-trained  and  carefully  selected  teach- 
ers. Disregarding,  for  the  moment,  the  influence  of 
adequate  supervision,  the  efficiency  of  the  schools  de- 
pends upon  the  preparation  of  the  teachers  and  upon  the 
intelligence  with  which  teachers  are  chosen.  There  are 
reasons  for  exercising  unusual  watchfulness  in  Maryland, 
for  the  law  guarantees  what  is  tantamount  to  unlimited 
tenure.  Once  appointed,  removal  is  in  practice  rare. 

What  safeguards  may  an  American  state  wisely  set 
up  in  respect  to  the  training  and  selection  of  its  teaching 
body?  The  problem  is  by  no  means  a  simple  one.  The 
public  school  system  consists  of  schools  of  many  types — 
urban  elementary  schools,  rural  elementary  schools,  in- 
dustrial schools,  and  high  schools.  One  sort  of  teacher 
is  needed  for  the  graded  city  school;  a  modified  type  is 
needed  for  the  ungraded  rural  school.  The  teacher  of 
high  school  Latin  needs  a  different  equipment  from  the 
teacher  of  high  school  physics;  the  teacher  of  high  school 
physics  needs  a  different  preparation  from  that  of  the 
teacher  of  industrial  art  or  domestic  science  in  elementary 

57 


58          PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

or  high  schools.  Differentiation  of  function  thus  requires 
within  limits  specialization  in  training.  We  say  ad- 
visedly "within  limits,"  for  all  teachers  of  a  given 
rank  ought  to  base  their  professional  training  on  a  cer- 
tain common  educational  background  or  experience. 
All  teachers  in  the  elementary  schools,  city  or  country, 
should  possess  something  like  a  high  school  education  fol- 
lowed by  normal  school  training;  all  high  school  teachers 
—certainly  in  the  usual  branches,  should  possess  a  higher 
education.  Otherwise,  the  teaching  force  will  be  little 
above  the  level  to  which  it  hopes  to  elevate  the  pupils! 
Exceptions  do  indeed  occur.  There  are  some  good  teach- 
ers who  have  received  little  training  and  some  poor  teach- 
ers who  have  received  much.  But  public  school  systems 
that  turn  the  exception  into  the  rule  make  precisely  the 
showing  that,  as  we  shall  now  see,  is  made  by  Maryland. 
There  are  in  Maryland,  exclusive  of  Baltimore,  3,467 
white  and  672  colored  teachers.  Accurate  information 
was  obtained  as  to  the  professional  training  of  3,444  white 
teachers  (99  per  cent,  of  the  whole)  and  505  colored 
teachers  (75  per  cent,  of  the  whole)  both  before  and 
after  they  entered  the  profession.  Regarding  the  train- 
ing of  these  teachers,  no  general  statement  can  be  made 
at  all.  There  are  the  widest  possible  variations  in  the 
training  of  teachers  doing  the  same  grade  of  work — incon- 
ceivable confusion  and  lack  of  sequence  and  order  in  their 
preparation.  For  example,  some  teachers  had  entered 
the  normal  schools  after  high  school  graduation,  as  they 
should;  but  some  of  them  had  entered  from  the  first,  sec- 


THE  TEACHERS 


59 


ond,  or  third  high  school  year,  and  not  a  few  went  straight 
from  the  elementary  schools.  Some  went  from  the  ele- 
mentary schools  to  college  in  order  to  study  " education"; 
others  spent  a  year  or  two  in  a  normal  school  and  then 

FIG.   I 
PREPARATION  OF   SLEMZNTARy    TEACHERS   (WHITE)- 


ELEMENTARY  SCHOOL 
12,77. 


entered  college;  still  others  reversed  this  last-mentioned 
process!  There  is  no  rhyme  or  reason  in  what  has  been 
taking  place.  Of  over  3,000  white  elementary  teachers 
in  the  state  outside  of  Baltimore  (Fig.  i)  391  (12.7  per 
cent.)  have  had  only  an  elementary  school  education; 
634  (20.7  per  cent.)  have  spent  one  or  two  years  in  a  high 


6o 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 


school;  1,031  (33.7  per  cent.)  have  completed  a  four- 
year  high  school  course;  only  148 — less  than  5  per  cent, 
of  the  whole — have  received  a  standard  normal  school 
training.  Of  the  rest,  some  have  spent  a  little  while  in 
normal  school;  some  have  received  an  irregular  normal 
schooling;  a  few  have  been  to  college  and  still  fewer 
through  college.1  Grouping  together  standard  normal 
school,  part  college,  and  college  graduates,  about  10  per 
cent,  of  the  elementary  teachers  of  Maryland — not  more 
— may  be  called  well  trained;  not  quite  one- third  could 
on  a  stretch  be  called  fairly  well  trained;  at  least  one- 
third  are  practically  untrained.  The  body  as  a  whole  is 
thus  heterogeneous  to  the  last  degree.2  How  could 
it  possibly  function  as  a  unit  in  carrying  out  a  well- 
conceived  educational  policy,  even  if  there  were  one?3 

1I.  e.,  have  had  a  regular  high  school  education  or  its  equivalent  fol- 
lowed by  a  college  course. 

2X0  say  nothing  of  classes  prior  to  1910,  of  the  last  six  graduating  classes 
of  the  Maryland  State  Normal  Schools,  less  than  40  per  cent,  entered 
from  standard  high  schools. 

*In  the  following  table  the  figures  are  grouped: 

TABLE  I 
PREPARATION  OF  ELEMENTARY  TEACHERS   (WHITE) 


Kind  of  Preparation 

Number 

Per  cent. 

Cumulative 
Per  cent. 

Elementary  School              .    •  

391 

12  7 

12  7 

Part  High  School 

634 

20  7 

33  4 

Standard  High  School              .... 

1,031 

33  7 

67  1 

Part  Normal  Course 

82 

2  7 

69  8 

Non-standard  Normal  Course  
Standard  Normal  Course 

614 
148 

20. 
4  8 

89.8 
94  6 

Part  College 

98 

3.2 

97  8 

College 

65 

2  1 

99  9 

Grand  Total           .... 

3,063 

99.9 

THE  TEACHERS 


61 


The  colored  elementary  teachers,  including  the  super- 
visors, make  a  better  showing  than  might  have  been 
anticipated.  (Fig.  2.)  Eight  per  cent,  appear  to  have 
received  a  standard  normal  training.  In  view  of  the 
fact  that  there  is  not  a  single  colored  high  school  in  the 
state  outside  of  the  city  of  Baltimore  and  the  local 
facilities  for  training  colored  teachers  are  extremely 
meagre,  this  is  a  surprising  fact.1  To  some  extent  it  may 
be  accounted  for  on  the  ground  that,  while  the  returns 
for  the  white  teachers  are  practically  complete,  reports 
were  received  from  only  three-fourths  of  the  colored 
teachers.  This  was  not  due  to  negligence  on  the  part  of 
the  county  superintendents,  but  to  the  fact  that  many 
colored  schools  had  closed  for  the  year  before  the  blanks 
calling  for  data  on  teacher  preparation  were  received, 
making  it  impossible  to  secure  the  requested  information. 
Complete  returns  from  the  colored  teachers  would  prob- 
ably lessen  the  per  cent,  of  those  adequately  trained. 


exact  figures  are  as  follows: 

TABLE  n 

PREPARATION  OF  ELEMENTARY   AND   SPECIAL  TEACHERS    (COLORED) 


Kind  of  Preparation 

Number 

Per  cent. 

Cumulative 
Per  cent. 

Elementary  School 
Part  High  School     
Standard  High  School         .                 ... 

78 
99 
110 
25 
114 
40 
18 
21 

15.4 
19.6 
21.8 
4.9 
22.5 
7.9 
3.6 
4.2 

15.4 
35. 
56.8 
61.7 
84.2 
92.1 
95.7 
99.9 

Part  Normal  Course     
Non-standard  Normal  Course       .... 
Standard  Normal  Course               .... 

Part  College 

College      .      .           .           

Grand  Total 

505 

99.9 

62         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

The  teachers  in  the  high  schools  are  of  two  kinds: 
regular  teachers,  (i.  e.,  those  handling  the  older  studies) 
and  special  teachers  (i.  e.,  those  working  in  manual 
training,  domestic  science,  agriculture,  and  the  commer- 

FIG.    2 

PREPARATION  OfELEMENTAKfAND  SPECIAL  TEACH£R3(COLO&l) 


PART 
4.9*1^ 

NON  STANDARD  22.5% 


cial  branches) .  It  has  been  stated  above  that  high  school 
teachers  ought  to  be  college  graduates  who  have  also  had 
a  certain  amount  of  professional  training.  But  it  would 
be  unfair  to  apply  this  standard  to  Maryland — or  to 
most  other  states,  for  the  high  school  movement  is  so 
recent  and  has  developed  so  rapidly  that  professionally 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 


proper  preparation,  being  made  up  of  those  who  have  had 
only  a  high  school  education,  a  part  of  a  normal  course,  or 
some  similarly  inadequate  and  ill-adjusted  preparation.1 
In  reference  to  teachers  of  special  high  school  branches 
—  manual  training,  domestic  science,  agriculture,  and 
commercial  subjects,  it  was  not  possible  to  ascertain 
what  specialized  training  teachers  had  had.  We  were 
compelled,  therefore,  to  limit  our  inquiry  to  their  general 
rather  than  their  particular  fitness.  On  this  basis2  less 


HI 
PREPARATION  OF  REGULAR  HIGH   SCHOOL   TEACHERS 


Kind  of  Preparation 

Number 

Per  cent. 

Cumulative 
Per  cent. 

Elementary  School   . 

2 

.7 

.7 

Part  High  School 

14 

5  1 

5  8 

Standard  High  School         

36 

13.1 

18.9 

Part  Normal  Course 

5 

1  8 

20  7 

Non-standard  Normal  Course       .... 
Standard  Normal  Course 

51 

7 

18.6 
2  5 

39.3 
41  8 

Part  College  
College 

57 
103 

20.7 
37  4 

62.5 
99  9 

Grand  Total      

275 

99  9 

IV 
PREPARATION  OF   SPECIAL   HIGH   SCHOOL   TEACHERS 


Kind  of  Preparation 

Manual 
Training 

Com- 
mercial 

Domestic 
Science 

Agricul- 
ture 

Totals 

No.      % 

No.      % 

No.      % 

No.      % 

No.      % 

Elementary  School  . 
Part  High  School    .     . 
Standard  High  School   . 
Part  Normal  Course     . 
Non-standard  Normal 
Course 

1  2.9 
3  8.8 
8  23.5 
2  5.9 

7  20.6 
4  11.7 
8  23.5 
1  2.9 

1  2.9 

3        8.8 
8      23.5 
12       35.3 

1  2.9 
1  2.9 
6  17.7 
2  5.9 

2       1.9 

9      8.5 
27    25.5 
15     14.1 

9      8.5 

7      6.6 
28    26.4 
9      8.5 

3        9.1 
11       33.3 
1         3. 

1         3. 
2        6.1 
10      30.3 
5       15.1 

'4         '80 
1          20 

Standard  Normal  Course 
Part  College       .     .     . 
College     

Grand  Total 

34       99.8 

34      99.9 

33       99.9 

5         100 

106      100 

THE  TEACHERS  65 

than  10  per  cent,  of  the  special  high  school  teachers 
now  in  service  are  well  trained.  Forty  per  cent,  have 
had  a  normal  school  or  a  part  college  course,  but  a  fourth 
have  never  gone  beyond  the  high  school  itself.  To  be 
sure,  these  high  school  graduates  have  had  in  most  cases 
the  special  high  school  course  in  manual  training  or 
domestic  science,  or  the  commercial  branches,  but  such 
instruction  hardly  gives  them  the  broad  outlook  upon 
life  and  industry  which  is  essential  to  efficient  work  in 
their  chosen  fields. 

A  fair  degree  of  uniformity  in  the  teaching  body  can  be 
obtained  only  if  admission  thereto  is  controlled  by  a 
central  agency.  Maryland,  instead  of  a  single  portal,  has 
almost  half  a  dozen:  the  county  examination,  normal 
school  diplomas,  college  certificates,  and  other  evidences 
of  training.  No  one  authority  passes  upon  these  diverse 
credentials.  In  consequence^  there  is  no  common  stand- 
ard and  no  way  of  enforcing  a  common  standard,  if  one 
were  formulated. 

As  has  been  intimated  in  the  preceding  chapter,  the 
teachers'  examinations  conducted  by  county  superin- 
tendents form  the  most  objectionable  feature  of  the  exist- 
ing situation.  We  have  called  attention  to  the  fact  that 
untrained  superintendents  cannot  conduct  judicious  ex- 
aminations. As  a  matter  of  fact,  under  the  existing  law, 
neither  can  highly  trained  county  superintendents.  For 
the  subjects  of  the  examinations  are  regulated  by  stat- 
utes that  make  a  sensible  examination  practically  im- 
possible. 


66         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

These  statutes  go  back  to  the  period  between  1866  and 
1872,  when  the  conception  of  a  free  public  school  system 
was  just  beginning  to  be  formed.  The  pioneers  in  this 
field  were  men  of  vision  who  planned  a  program  of  in- 
struction unrealized  even  at  the  present  time.  Their 
ambitious  ideas  were  embodied  in  the  law  of  1872,  which 
prescribed  that  there  "  shall  be  taught  in  every  district 
school,  orthography,  reading,  writing,  English  grammar, 
geography,  arithmetic,  history  of  the  United  States,  good 
behavior,  algebra,  bookkeeping,  natural  philosophy,  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  the  Constitution  of  the 
State  of  Maryland,  the  history  of  Maryland,  vocal  music, 
drawing,  physiology,  the  laws  of  health,  and  domestic 
economy. "  It  was  also  provided  that,  in  communities 
having  a  considerable  German  population,  the  German 
language  might  also  be  introduced.  Nor  was  this  pre- 
tentious program  distributed  between  elementary  and 
high  schools;  on  the  contrary,  it  was  part  of  the  dream 
that  all  branches  should  be  taught  in  every  district 
school. 

Teachers  were  to  be  selected  on  the  basis  of  their  fit- 
ness to  carry  out  this  ambitious  scheme.  To  be  sure, 
two  grades  of  certificates  were  recognized.  The  second 
or  lower  grade — regarded  as  a  makeshift  then,  though 
to-day,  half  a  century  later,  it  is  still  the  prevailing  cer- 
tificate— called  for  an  examination  in  spelling,  reading, 
Writing,  arithmetic,  English  grammar,  geography,  and 
history  only;  the  first-grade  certificate  involved  an  exam- 
ination in  all  the  studies  mentioned  in  the  law,  except 


THE  TEACHERS  67 

physiology,  vocal  music,  drawing,  laws  of  health,  and 
domestic  economy.  There  was  thus  a  close  correspond- 
ence between  the  visionary  course  of  study  meant  for 
every  district  school  and  the  examination  required  for  a 
first-grade  certificate. 

Despite  the  vision,  however,  the  actual  instruction  in 
the  one-room  rural  and  village  schools  was  practically 
limited  to  the  so-called  three  R's,  English  grammar, 
geography,  and  history.  Branches  like  bookkeeping, 
algebra,  and  natural  philosophy  were  attempted  as  a  rule 
only  in  the  academies  and  in  the  high  schools  of  the 
larger  towns,  and  the  number  of  pupils  taking  them  was 
small.  For  example,  as  late  as  1900  Howard  County 
reported  only  134  pupils  in  all  the  schools  of  the  county 
above  the  sixth  grade;  of  these  68  were  in  bookkeeping, 
123  in  algebra,  and  56  in  natural  philosophy.  But  the 
academies  and  high  schools  did  not  confine  themselves 
to  the  studies  prescribed  in  the  law.  Latin  and  higher 
mathematics  including  geometry,  trigonometry,  and  sur- 
veying formed  the  backbone  of  their  instruction;  a  little 
English  literature  and  a  smattering  of  the  more  exact 
sciences  such  as  astronomy  were  also  taught. 

Prospective  teachers  had  therefore  under  the  law  to 
be  trained  to  teach  a  course  of  study  which  as  a  matter  of 
fact  had  no  existence  in  either  elementary  or  high  schools. 
Hence  examination  based  on  the  statutory  requirement 
did  not  test  the  qualifications  of  teachers  to  give  instruc- 
tion in  the  subjects  actually  taught.  Those  who  strove 
to  obtain  the  first-grade  certificate  as  a  basis  of  teaching 


68         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

in  elementary  schools  were  compelled  to  equip  them- 
selves in  algebra,  natural  philosophy,  and  the  like,  but 
not  in  such  elementary  school  branches  as  physiology, 
the  laws  of  health,  vocal  music,  drawing,  and  domestic 
economy.  Those  who  strove  to  obtain  a  first-grade 
certificate  in  order  to  teach  in  the  high  school  were  even 
more  remote  from  their  needs,  for  they  took  no  examina- 
tion in  Latin,  higher  mathematics,  English  literature, 
general  history,  or  in  any  of  the  sciences  other  than  nat- 
ural philosophy.  In  a  word,  the  examination  for  the 
standard  certificate  of  the  day  was  a  poor  basis  for  select- 
ing teachers  for  the  elementary  schools  and  of  little  or  no 
worth  in  the  selection  of  high  school  teachers.  Incredible 
as  it  may  seem,  these  defects,  dating  back  to  the  year 
1872,  persist  to  this  very  day.  Indeed,  despite  the 
differentiation  made  in  recent  years  between  elementary 
schools  and  high  schools,  the  examination  system  of  1872 
lasted  up  to  1904  without  a  single  statutory  change. 

At  that  time,  without  cutting  anything  out,  there  were 
added  to  the  examination  subjects  for  the  second-grade 
certificate  the  history  of  Maryland,  the  State  and  Na- 
tional Constitution,  physiology,  algebra  to  quadratics, 
the  theory  and  practice  of  teaching,  and  the  laws  and 
the  by-laws  of  the  public  schools.  Young  women  who 
teach  in  the  elementary  rural  schools  are  thus  examined 
in  algebra,  which  they  do  not  teach,  but  not  in  drawing 
or  agriculture  which  they  are  expected  to  teach.  Mean- 
while, candidates  for  the  first-grade  certificate  are  tested 
in  bookkeeping,  algebra,  and  natural  philosophy,  subjects 


THE  TEACHERS  69 

long  since  dropped  from  the  elementary  schools,  and  in 
general  history  and  plane  geometry  which  are  distinctly 
high  school  studies,  while  they  go  entirely  unexamined  in 
important  elementary  branches.  Equally  disastrous  is 
the  effect  of  this  arrangement  on  the  high  school.  For  as 
the  first-grade  certificate  qualifies  for  a  high  school  post, 
instruction  may  be  given  in  Latin,  higher  mathematics, 
English  literature,  or  science  by  a  person  holding  a  teach- 
ing license  issued  absolutely  without  reference  to  them. 

No  serious  effort  has  yet  been  made  to  get  rid  of  the 
absurdities  which  we  have  just  pointed  out.  The  state 
has  limited  its  endeavors  to  encouraging  improvement  in 
ways  that,  helpful  though  they  be,  do  not  strike  at  the 
root  of  the  problem.  A  succession  of  laws  beginning  in 
1867  has  aimed  to  encourage  and  develop  the  county 
institute;  in  1914  counties  were  authorized,  in  lieu  of 
holding  the  annual  institute,  to  require  not  less  than  a 
fourth  of  their  teachers  to  attend  a  summer  school;  and 
in  the  same  year,  the  payment  of  higher  salaries  to  teach- 
ers of  superior  training  or  ability  was  also  authorized. 
Such  provisions  are  wise  enough  in  their  way  for  they 
tend  to  improve  the  existing  teaching  corps.  But  much 
more  radical  measures  must  be  taken. 

At  the  outset  a  clear  division  must  be  made  between 
certificates  valid  in  the  elementary  school  and  those 
valid  in  the  high  school.  On  the  side  of  the  elementary 
school  an  examination  should  be  devised  which  will  test 
the  fitness  not  in  some,  but  in  all,  the  branches  included 
in  the  elementary  course  of  study.  On  the  side  of  the 


70         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

high  school  there  will  need  to  be  such  a  grouping  of  the 
principal  academic  studies  that  no  teacher  will  be  per- 
mitted to  teach  a  branch  unless  she  has  first  proven  her 
fitness.  In  order  that  uniformity  of  standard  may  be  se- 
cured, these  examinations  should  be  conducted  by  the 
state  department,  acting  through  the  County  Super- 
intendent. From  an  eligible  list  thus  formed,  teachers 
should  be  appointed  by  the  County  Superintendent — no 
longer  as  now  by  the  county  boards  and  the  district 
trustees. 

In  bringing  about  this  reorganization  an  important 
factor  will  be  the  normal  schools  of  the  state,  to  the  con- 
sideration of  which  we  now  turn. 

Maryland  supports  two  establishments  for  the  training 
of  white  elementary  school  teachers — the  Normal  School 
at  Frostburg  and  the  new  Normal  School  at  Towson. 

The  Frostburg  School,  established  in  1897,  remains 
without  any  clear  function  in  the  state  school  system. 
Provision  for  it  has  always  been  grudging.  The  present 
plant  comprises  a  modest  building  capable  of  accommo- 
dating about  175  students  with  additional  quarters  for  a 
small  practice  school.  The  equipment  is  poor  and  alto- 
gether inadequate  for  instruction  in  nature  study,  physics, 
chemistry,  manual  training,  domestic  science,  and  the 
fine  arts.  The  total  amount  provided  annually  by  the 
state  for  all  expenses  from  1902  to  1914  was  $7,000;  in 
1914  the  sum  was  raised  to  $10,000.  Accordingly,  the 
salaries  of  the  instructors  scarcely  exceed  those  in  the 
neighboring  high  schools,  and  are  in  any  case  too  meagre 


THE  TEACHERS  71 

to  procure  a  qualified  staff.  Nevertheless,  the  school  has 
grown  rapidly,  having  in  1914  an  enrolment  of  102  pre- 
paratory and  6 1  normal  students,  a  total  of  163,  mostly 
drawn  from  Allegany  County.  Including  the  class  of 
1914,  156  students  have  completed  the  course,  of  whom 
131  are  now  engaged  in  teaching. 

The  institution  destined  to  be  made  the  central  normal 
school  is  the  Baltimore  Normal,  established  in  1865. 
The  building  occupied  from  the  early  yo's  until  the  pres- 
ent autumn  was  for  years  one  of  the  best  of  its  kind  in  the 
country,  and  even  at  the  time  of  its  abandonment  was  not 
altogether  unadapted  to  its  purposes.  While  thus  fairly 
well  housed  the  funds  for  its  support  have  never  been 
adequate.  Prior  to  1914  the  regular  annual  appropria- 
tion did  not  exceed  $20,000,  and  it  is  now  only  $50,000. 

For  almost  forty  years  the  Baltimore  Normal  was  the 
only  school  for  the  training  of  teachers  supported  and  con- 
trolled by  the  state.  Its  graduates,  representing  all 
sections  and  numbering  more  than  2,500,  are  to  be  found 
in  important  positions  both  within  and  without  the 
schools.  The  school  has,  however,  operated  on  so  inade- 
quate an  allowance  that  at  best  it  has  accomplished  only 
a  part  of  what  it  might  have  accomplished.  Its  leader- 
ship has  at  times  been  distinctly  inadequate;  not  infre- 
quently, lacking  funds  to  employ  trained  and  experienced 
teachers,  the  school  has  appointed  to  its  staff  its  own  re- 
cent graduates.  Inbreeding  has  thus  gone  on  with  its 
usual  bad  effects. 

Our  interest  is,  however,  with  the  future,  not  with  the 


72         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

past,  of  the  Baltimore  Normal  School.  The  school  has 
just  occupied  its  new  quarters  at  Towson,  with  dormitory 
accommodations  for  two  hundred  students,  classrooms, 
laboratory,  library,  and  gymnasium  facilities  for  six  or 
seven  hundred,  and  ample  quarters  for  an  adequate  prac- 
tice school.  If  the  state  is  to  derive  full  returns  from  the 
enormous  sum  now  invested  in  its  plant  and  equipment,  a 
thoroughgoing  reorganization  is  needed. 

We  make  this  suggestion  in  no  spirit  of  fault-finding 
with  those  who  have  hitherto  had  to  conduct  the  school 
on  a  quite  insufficient  allowance.  It  may  well  be  that 
no  one  could  have  done  better  under  the  circumstances. 
But  the  new  plant  totally  changes  conditions.  Its  facil- 
ities are  perhaps  not  surpassed  anywhere;  and  an  ade- 
quate budget  will  doubtless  be  provided.  Under  these 
circumstances  the  head  of  the  school  ought  to  be  the 
most  competent  that  the  country  affords;  and  the  entire 
country  should  be  searched  in  order  to  find  him.  Poli- 
tics, personal  interest,  and  local  pride  must  be  eliminated, 
for  upon  this  selection  depends  in  great  part  the  progress 
of  the  public  schools  of  the  entire  state.  In  the  same 
way  such  men  and  women  should  be  selected  as  teachers, 
in  charge  of  the  different  departments,  as  will  not  only  be 
able  to  develop  strong  courses  of  instruction  within  the 
school,  but  also  to  exert  an  influence  throughout  the 
state.  For  there  is  need  not  only  of  capable  instructors, 
but  of  organizers  who  can  work  with  the  teachers  in  the 
field,  inspiring  and  directing  them  in  their  daily  work. 

The  activities  of  the  old  school  stopped  with  the  close 


THE  TEACHERS  73 

of  the  school  year  in  June.  The  work  of  a  progressive 
school  that  would  fully  occupy  its  field,  and  especially  a 
normal  school,  is  never  done.  Indeed,  the  summer  sea- 
son offers  a  great  opportunity  to  the  Baltimore  Normal, 
if  it  is  to  rise  to  the  new  and  larger  service  before  it. 
Over  75  per  cent,  of  the  elementary  teachers  outside 
of  the  city  of  Baltimore,  when  judged  most  liberally, 
have  had  less  than  a  standard  professional  preparation; 
to  add  to  the  initial  equipment  of  these  ill-prepared 
teachers  should  become  one  of  the  primary  objects  of  the 
institution.  To  this  end  there  should  be  a  summer 
session,  and  the  work  of  the  summer  session  should  equal 
in  strength  and  attractiveness  that  of  the  regular  school 
year. 

Again,  the  entrance  standards  of  the  old  school  have 
always  been  low.  For  years  young  people  taken  from 
the  highest  grade  of  the  elementary  school  were  gradu- 
ated in  three  years;  only  since  1904  has  the  course  run 
four  years,  divided  equally  between  preparatory  and 
professional  work.  By  resolution  of  the  State  Board  of 
Education  the  admission  requirements  for  1915  were  fixed 
at  the  completion  of  the  second  year  of  high  school,  but 
no  steps  were  taken  to  readjust  the  old  two-year  prepara- 
tory course. 

While  more  high  school  graduates  entered  in  the  fall  of 
1915  than  ever  before,  a  great  part  of  the  work  of  the 
school  is  still  confined,  as  it  always  has  been,  to  prepara- 
tory students.  Surely  the  time  is  now  at  hand  when  the 
school  should  cease  to  build  its  professional  work  upon  an 


74         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

abbreviated  high  school  course.  This  does  not  imply 
that  the  present  work  below  the  professional  course  should 
be  summarily  abandoned.  There  are,  and  for  some  time 
there  will  continue  to  be,  sections  without  high  schools 
in  easy  reach  of  ambitious  young  people.  To  accommo- 
date students  thus  located  who  desire  to  become  teachers 
the  high  school  course  at  the  Baltimore  Normal  should  be 
maintained;  but  it  should  be  lengthened  to  full  four  years, 
and  so  strengthened  that  it  will  become  one  of  the  strong- 
est in  the  state,  instead  of  being  a  mere  subterfuge  and 
makeshift. 

It  has  been  urged  that  the  present  is  an  appropriate 
time  to  broaden  the  activities  of  the  Baltimore  Normal 
so  as  to  include  the  preparation  of  secondary  teachers. 
Even  if  the  state  were  not  pledged  to  another  policy,  it 
is  our  opinion  that  this  central  school  should  confine  its 
attention  solely  to  the  training  of  elementary  teachers. 
The  number  of  secondary  teachers  needed  annually  is 
too  small  for  the  state  to  undertake  to  develop,  in  com- 
petition with  colleges  already  in  the  field,  strong  courses 
for  regular  high  school  teachers.  There  are,  however, 
two  kinds  of  high  school  teacher — viz.,  teachers  of 
domestic  science  and  of  manual  training — for  the  train- 
ing of  whom  no  other  schools  in  Maryland  are  at  all 
equipped,  and  with  these  the  Normal  might  wisely  deal. 
The  suggestion  that  it  should  also  train  supervisors  is, 
in  our  judgment,  without  value.  The  number  of  new 
supervisors  annually  needed  is  inconsiderable.  To  pro- 
vide proper  facilities  could  only  be  done  at  excessive  cost. 


THE  TEACHERS  75 

The  state  should  indeed  maintain  a  high  standard  in 
appointing  supervisors,  but  it  should  expect  supervisors  to 
resort  to  special  institutions  for  supplementary  training. 

The  Towson  plant  was  created  on  the  theory  that  the 
training  of  all  the  elementary  teachers  for  the  white 
schools  might  be  there  concentrated.  In  1914  the  total  en- 
rolment of  both  the  Baltimore  and  the  Frostburg  schools 
was  2  24 ;  there  were  101  graduates.  To  supply  all  the  new 
elementary  teachers  needed  in  the  state  an  enrolment 
of  more  than  600  and  yearly  graduates  in  excess  of  300 
are  required,  or  an  increase  in  enrolment  and  graduates  of 
more  than  200  per  cent.  It  is  necessary,  therefore,  to 
attract  students  in  larger  numbers  and  to  hold  them  until 
they  complete  the  course.  But  a  difficulty  arises. 

Two-thirds  of  the  teachers  of  Maryland  work  in  vil- 
lages and  the  open  country;  40  per  cent,  of  them  have 
one-room  schools.  Will  the  graduates  of  this  stately 
normal  school  be  willing  to  teach  in  rural  schools?  Will 
the  practice  school  at  Towson  reproduce  even  approxi- 
mately the  conditions  which  most  of  its  graduates  may 
have  to  meet?  How  can  courses  and  practice  opportuni- 
ties be  adjusted  to  rural  needs?  American  experience  is 
not  wholly  encouraging  in  this  matter.  Central  normal 
schools  do  not  readily  represent  the  rural  point  of  view; 
and  teachers  trained  in  them  prefer  town  and  city  posts. 
For  this  reason  many  states  are  endeavoring  to  train 
teachers  for  the  rural  elementary  schools  in  connection 
with  county  high  schools;  and  the  legislature  of  Mary- 
land passed  in  1914  a  permissive  law  looking  to  this  end. 


76         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

For  the  moment,  however,  it  will  probably  be  wisest 
to  take  no  steps  in  this  direction  until  the  Towson  school 
has  had  a  fair  chance  to  grapple  with  the  problem.1 

There  are  now  672  colored  teachers  in  the  schools  out- 
side of  the  city  of  Baltimore.  To  encourage  their  fur- 
ther preparation  —  less  than  40  per  cent,  of  whom  can  be 
credited  with  anything  like  a  satisfactory  training  —  and 
toprepare  approximately  7  5  new  colored  teachers  required 
annually,  the  state  maintains  a  single  institution,  the 
Maryland  Normal  and  Industrial  School  at  Bowie, 
opened  under  the  auspices  of  the  State  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, September,  1911. 

The  equipment  comprises  a  farm  of  187  acres,  an  ordi- 
nary eight-room  school  building,  the  attic  story  of  which 
serves  for  a  girls'  dormitory,  the  first  and  second  floors 
for  classrooms  and  the  principal's  office,  and  the  base- 
ment for  kitchen  and  dining-room.  A  remodelled  barn 
answers  for  a  dormitory  for  boys,  and  there  is  also  an  old 
farmhouse  used  principally  for  storage.  The  present 
annual  appropriation  for  maintenance  is  $7,000,  and 
there  are  accommodations  for  about  70  students. 

The  course  for  teachers  is  three  years  in  length,  with  an 
entrance  requirement  equivalent  to  the  sixth  grade  of  the 
public  school.  So  many  students,  however,  offered  them- 
selves, whose  preparation  fell  below  this  standard,  that  a 
two-year  preparatory  course  had  to  be  added.  The 


delay  will  be  of  advantage  for  another  reason.  The  General 
Education  Board  is  just  beginning  a  thorough  study  of  the  training  of 
rural  teachers  in  Minnesota  and  other  states.  The  results  will  probably 
be  available  within  a  year. 


THE  TEACHERS  77 

enrolment  in  the  normal  course  in  1913-1914  was  43,  with 
one  special  student,  and  in  the  preparatory  department, 
28,  making  a  total  of  72 — an  enrolment  which  taxes  the 
accommodations  to  the  limit. 

The  management  of  the  school  is  excellent.  The 
principal  and  his  assistant  are  at  once  competent  and 
"rural-minded."  An  abandoned  farm  was  part  of  the 
school  property.  As  school  and  students  were  both 
needy,  principal  and  students  set  to  work  to  make  the 
farm  supply  what  they  lacked.  The  result  has  been 
gratifying  from  every  point  of  view.  Supplies  have  been 
raised,  because  there  was  no  money  with  which  to  buy 
them;  in  the  process  agriculture  has  been  efficiently 
taught,  and  rural  school  teachers  of  the  right  type  have 
been  trained.  Up  to  date,  however,  the  graduates  num- 
ber only  25,  and  not  all  of  these  have  become  teachers. 

The  Maryland  Normal  and  Industrial  School  at  Bowie 
is,  to  be  sure,  not  the  only  source  of  colored  teachers: 
Hampton,  Tuskegee,  Cheney  Normal  School,  Dover 
College,  and  others  contribute;  some  are  also  obtained 
from  the  Washington  High  School,  and  from  the  Balti- 
more High  School  and  Morgan  College.  Nevertheless, 
half  of  the  colored  teachers  of  the  state  have  no  certifi- 
cates other  than  " postal  card  certificates"— that  is,  they 
are  permitted  to  teach  without  having  passed  any  exam- 
ination at  all,  the  county  superintendents  selecting  those 
most  likely  to  succeed,  irrespective  of  academic  and  pro- 
fessional credentials. 

The  only  other  institution  within  the  state,  besides  the 


78         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

Maryland  Normal  and  Industrial  School  and  the  Balti- 
more High  School,  that  attempts  to  prepare  elementary 
colored  teachers,  is  the  Princess  Anne  Academy,  under 
the  management  of  the  Morgan  College  Corporation. 
This  school  has  a  good-sized  farm  and  rather  ample  quar- 
ters and  equipment.  While  it  is  essentially  a  prepara- 
tory school  for  Morgan  College,  yet  the  employment  of 
Federal  funds  has  made  agriculture  and  agricultural 
pursuits  prominent  and  given  to  the  school  an  industrial 
atmosphere.  Special  attention  has  lately  been  given  to 
the  preparation  of  teachers.  Besides  regular  courses 
during  the  year,  a  summer  school  with  an  enrolment  of 
about  40  was  conducted  in  1915.  The  school  is  located 
near  the  colored  population  centre  of  the  Eastern  Shore, 
readily  accessible,  and  is  in  position  to  exert  a  good  influ- 
ence upon  the  public  schools  of  that  section. 

This  brief  statement  will  show  that  Maryland's  present 
facilities  for  training  negro  teachers  are  altogether  inade- 
quate, even  though  we  reckon,  as  an  additional  factor, 
the  industrial  schools  supported  in  16  counties  at  an 
annual  cost  to  the  state  of  $22,500.  There  is,  therefore, 
every  reason  why  the  school  at  Bowie  should  be  developed 
and  made  the  centre  for  the  training  of  colored  teachers 
for  at  least  the  Western  Shore,  if  not  for  the  entire  state. 
To  do  this  its  facilities  will  need  to  be  largely  increased 
and  the  teaching  staff  developed,  so  that  it  will  be  in 
position  to  give  instruction  to  larger  numbers  of  prospec- 
tive teachers  during  the  year  and  to  offer  helpful  work 
during  the  summer  to  those  now  in  service. 


THE  TEACHERS  79 

But  the  development  of  the  school  at  Bowie  alone  will 
not  be  sufficient.  Maryland  would  do  well  to  follow  the 
example  of  Virginia  and  other  Southern  States  in  the 
establishment  of  County  Training  Schools — schools 
which,  while  giving  appropriate  instruction  of  a  secondary 
grade,  will  also  provide  for  a  certain  amount  of  teacher 
training.  In  this  way  a  gradually  improved  teaching 
force,  particularly  for  the  rural  schools,  can  be  built  up. 

Our  position  regarding  the  teachers  of  Maryland  may 
then  be  briefly  summarized.  The  profession  is  without 
standards,  without  even  the  possibility  of  standards. 
Some  form  of  central  control  must  be  instituted;  teachers 
must  be  differentiated  on  the  basis  of  their  particular 
functions;  and  appointments  must  be  made  by  the 
County  Superintendent,  who,  under  the  new  order,  will 
necessarily  be  a  trained  officer.  Meanwhile,  the  reorgan- 
ized normal  schools  of  the  state,  cooperating  with  the  re- 
organized county  school  organization,  should  prove  an 
important  influence  in  improving  teachers  now  in  service. 


VII.  ENROLMENT  AND  ATTENDANCE 

IN  THE  effort  to  ascertain  how  well  Maryland  edu- 
cates its  children  and  what  measures  it  must  take 
to  improve  educational  facilities,  we  have  thus  far 
discussed  the  administrative  organization,  state  and 
county,  and  the  character  and  qualifications  of  the  super- 
vising and  teaching  bodies.  We  have  criticised  the 
county  boards  as  politically  constituted,  the  county 
superintendents  as  lacking  in  technical  training  and 
stability  of  tenure,  the  teaching  body  as  ill-prepared  and 
heterogeneous.  Exceptions  have  indeed  been  gladly 
noted.  A  few  county  boards  are  non-political;  a  few 
county  superintendents  are  competent  and  secure;  some 
teachers — indeed,  not  a  few — are  well-trained,  intelligent, 
and  progressive.  Nevertheless,  these  exceptions,  impor- 
tant as  they  are,  do  not  really  leaven  the  mass. 

Whether  or  not  the  organization  which  we  have  thus  de- 
scribed does  the  best  that  it  is  capable  of  doing  depends  on 
two  factors  to  the  consideration  of  which  we  now  turn,  viz. : 

(1)  the  regularity  with  which  children  attend  school,  and 

(2)  the  course  of  instruction  through  which  they  are  put. 
To  the  former  topic  the  present  chapter  will  be  devoted. 

The  legal  school  age  in  Maryland  is  from  five  to  twenty 
years  of  age.  But  children  will  neither  start  to  school 

80 


ENROLMENT  AND  ATTENDANCE 


81 


at  five  nor  remain  until  they  are  twenty.  It  would  there- 
fore be  absurd  to  criticise  enrolment  and  attendance  on 
the  basis  of  the  statutory  requirement.  It  is  however  fair 
to  expect  children  to  begin  school  at  six;  and  now  that  high 
schools  are  developing,  it  is  important  to  ascertain  how 
many  pupils  remain  up  to,  say,  eighteen.  Accordingly, 
children  from  six  to  eighteen  years  of  age  are  regarded  in 
this  chapter  as  constituting  the  school  population. 

The  number  of  children  in  Maryland  between  6  and  18 
has  increased  decidedly  since  1880.  There  were  276,229 
children  of  school  age  in  Maryland  in  1880;  there  were 
339,467  in  1914.  Simultaneously,  as  might  be  expected, 
the  number  of  children  enrolled  in  schools  has  also  in- 
creased. What  is  more,  the  increase  in  school  enrolment 
has  been  larger  than  the  increase  in  school  population. 
Conditions  have  therefore  improved.  (Fig.  4.)  In  1880 

FIG.  4 

SCHOOL  POPVLATION((,-18)&  SCHOOL  ENROLLMENT 


258 


1880 


1890 


1900 


1910     1914 


82 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 


only  59  per  cent,  of  the  white  and  colored  children  be- 
tween 6  and  18  were  in  school^  whereas  in  1914,  73  per 
cent,  were  registered.  In  a  word,  in  1880,  41  children 
out  [of  each  100  that  should  have  been  in  school  were 
not  there,  while  in  1914  only  27  out  of  each  100  were 
out  altogether.  (Fig.  5.)  Children  are,  of  course,  and 

FIG.  5 
PERCENT  OF  TOTAL  SCHOOL  POPULATION fc-ld)  ENROLLED 


72.5*1. 


90 
60 
70 
60 
50 
40 
30 
*0 
10 


1880 


1890 


1900 


1910     1914 


have  always  been,  enrolled  in  other  than  public  schools. 
We  have  no  means  of  knowing  how  many  attended  pri- 
vate and  parochial  schools  in  1880,  nor  do  we  know  how 
many  attend  private  and  parochial  schools  to-day.  There 
can  be  no  doubt,  however,  that  a  larger  percentage  of  the 
school  population  attended  public  schools  in  1914  than 
attended  in  1880.  Public  school  enrolment  is,  however, 
even  now  less  than  three-fourths  of  the  school  popula- 
tion. 


ENROLMENT  AND  ATTENDANCE     83 

Up  to  1900  the  situation  is  partly  explained  by  the 
non-enrolment  of  large  numbers  of  colored  children. 
(Fig.  6.)  Since  1900,  however,  the  difference  between 


FIG.  6 


PER  CENT  OF  WHITE  ANP  COWREP  CH&PREN  ( t-t8)BMlLEX> 


90 
80 
70 
60 
50 
40 
30 
20 
10 


1680 


1890 


1900 


1010     1914 


the  enrolment  of  colored  children  and  the  enrolment  of 
white  children,  has  become  practically  negligible.  In 
that  year  there  were  enrolled  68  per  cent,  of  the  white 
as  against  66  per  cent,  of  the  colored  children,  and  2  to  3 
per  cent,  continues  to  measure  the  difference. 

Were  there  an  up-to-date  and  complete  school  census 
giving  the  number  of  children  of  each  age  and  the  number 
at  school,  it  would  be  possible  to  determine  accurately 
the  number  of  children  of  each  age  who  are  not  enrolled. 
Such  data  are  not  available,  for  Maryland  does  not  take 
a  state  school  census.  Hence,  there  is  no  telling  how 
enrolment  varies  with  age.  The  Federal  Census,  how- 


84 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 


ever,  throws  some  light  on  the  question.  On  the  basis 
of  its  figures  for  1910  it  appears  that,  of  children  between 
6  and  14  years  of  age,  17  white  children  out  of  each  100, 
and  29  colored  children  out  of  each  100  are  not  enrolled. 
(Fig.  7.)  Of  children  between  15  and  18  —  i.  e.,  the  high 

FIG.   7 

PER.CENT  OF  CHU-D&N  OF  ELEMENTAL  SCHOOL  AGE(&-t4j  IN  SCHOOL 


WHITE 


school  age  —  only  44  per  cent,  of  the  white  and  61  per  cent. 
of  the  colored  children  are  in  school  (Fig.  8)  —  not,  of 
course,  in  the  high  school;  for  24  per  cent,  of  the  white  chil- 
dren in  school  between  15  and  18  years  old  are  floundering 
about  between  the  second  and  the  seventh  grades  of  the 
elementary  school,1  and  the  same  is  true  of  all  the 
colored  pupils.  These  figures  may  not  be  absolutely 


statement  is  made  upon  the  basis  of  the  per  cent,  of  children 
between  1  5  and  18  in  these  grades  in  the  cities.     See  Table  V. 


ENROLMENT  AND  ATTENDANCE     85 

correct,  but  they  serve  to  explain  why  in  the  Federal 
Census  of  1910  Maryland  ranks  thirty-first  in  point 
of  illiteracy. 


FIG.  8 
CHILDK£X  OF  HIGH  SCHOOL  AGE  (i5  -Id)  1W  SCHOOL 


WHITE  COLORED 


/  IN  SCHOOL  \ 

/          *ul.          \ 


An  efficient  system  of  public  schools  not  only  enrolls 
children,  but  holds  at  least  those  who  are  physically  and 
mentally  normal  until  they  have  finished  the  elementary, 
if  not  the  high  school,  course.  The  school  records  of 
Maryland  are  so  incomplete  that  it  is  impossible  to  de- 
termine with  accuracy  the  number  of  grades  finished  by 
children  before  they  drop  out  of  school.  But  enough  is 
known  to  show  that  the  situation  is  deplorably  bad. 
Under  normal  conditions  children  start  to  school  in  their 
seventh  year  (i.  e.,  when  they  are  six  years  old) ;  therefore, 
if  the  system  is  efficient — if,  that  is,  they  start  to  school 
at  six  and  remain  consecutively,  there  ought  to  be  just 


86 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 


about  as  many  children  in  the  second  class  or  grade  as  there 
were  in  the  first.  Now  in  cities  having  a  population  of 
2,500  or  more,  exclusive  of  Baltimore,  there  were  enrolled 
in  the  winter  term  last  year  1,916  children  from  eight 
to  nine  years  of  age,  and  only  1,590  children  from  six  to 
seven  years  of  age.1  In  other  words,  about  17  per 
cent,  of  the  children  started  from  one  to  two  years  too 
late.  In  consequence,  many  of  the  late  beginners  will 
drop  out  of  school  without  completing  the  elementary 
curriculum;  for  a  late  start  reduces  the  number  of  years 
spent  in  school  and,  as  a  rule,  reduces  the  number  of 
grades  finished.  Efforts  must  therefore  be  made  to  get 
children  into  school  more  promptly. 

Once  started,  the  schools,  even  though  there  is  no 
adequate  compulsory  attendance  law,  hold  the  children 
fairly  well  until  they  pass  the  age  of  thirteen.  The  orig- 
inal enrolment  of  1,590  rises  three  years  later  to  1,930, 
gradually  declining  until  there  are  1,598  children  in 

'TABLE  V 
AGES  AND  GRADEJ  OF  CHlLDRfU  IN  THE  CITIES 


r- 


fcs 


•*• 

i2!2 


xl 


Toial 
Grades 


308 


m 


I 


5Z8_ 


m. 


il 


IP. 


s 


474 


«f 


184 


I 

121 

no 


m 


i 


109 


t 


s 


1390 


1G32 


Wife 


1848 


1685 


1714 


1598  1358 


968  TOO 


ea4  61 


ENROLMENT  AND  ATTENDANCE 


attendance  in  their  fourteenth  year.  But  these  figures 
do  not  indicate  orderly  progress  through  the  elementary 
grades.  If  children  started  to  school  when  six  years 
of  age,  fourteen-year-old  children  would  normally  be 
found  in  the  eighth  grade.  If  they  start  later  than  six, 
they  will  as  a  rule  be  correspondingly  retarded.  Now  in 
the  cities  under  consideration,  fourteen-year-old  children 
(Table  VI),  instead  of  being  concentrated  in  the  eighth 
grade,  are  scattered  from  the  first  to  the  eleventh  grades: 
five  were  still  in  the  first  grade;  19  had  finished  the  first 
and  reached  the  second;  300  had  reached  grade  seven, 
and  276,  grade  eight.  About  seven-eighths  of  the  chil- 
dren fourteen  years  of  age — to  be  precise  1,174  out  of 
1,358 — were  from  one  to  eight  grades  in  arrears;  44 
per  cent,  were  working  in  the  sixth  and  lower  grades; 
only  13  per  cent,  were  normal  or  ahead  of  normal.1 

1 TABLE  VI 
COMPLETED   BY  CHILDREN  14 TO  15  YEARS  OF  AGE 


GI&DES    COMPLETED   AND   GRADES   NOV  IN 

j 

I  and  in  II 

II  and  m  III 

fe 
& 

1 

IV  and  in  V 

> 

c 

i 

> 

g 

.g 

"O 

£ 

VII  andinvm 

* 
.B 

1 
i 

X  and  in  X 

R 

c 

1 

X 

3 

.£ 

2 

J 

1 

2 

1 

1 

3 

1 

-0 

a 

1 

ft 

J 

J 

| 

j 

1 

I 

1 

1 

! 

Total 

No.  of 

Chil- 

dren 

5 

19 

44 

66 

184 

260 

300 

276 

139 

38 

7 

1358 

ft|CEMT 

.4 

1.4 

3.2 

6.3 

13.5 

19.1 

E2.1 

20.3 

10  2 

2.8 

5 

99.8 

88 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 


On  this  showing,  probably  50  per  cent,  of  the  white 
children  of  the  state,  not  to  mention  the  colored  chil- 
dren, are  taking  up  the  duties  of  life  with  no  more  than 
a  fourth  or  a  fifth  grade  education.  Very  few,  indeed, 
go  much  further.  For,  of  the  original  enrolment  we 
are  now  considering,  the  figures  show  that  while  17 
per  cent,  will  leave  school  before  they  are  fourteen,  30 
per  cent,  will  leave  before  reaching  fifteen,  and  79  per 
cent,  before  reaching  eighteen.  That  is,  not  more  than 
one  in  five  stays  long  enough  to  finish  the  high  school, 
and  not  to  exceed  seven  out  of  ten,  even  if  progress  were 
regular,  remain  long  enough  to  complete  the  elementary 
school. 

This  estimate  can  be  confirmed  from  another  direction.1 
Out  of  the  17,650  children  in  the  schools  of  the  cities  in 
the  winter  term  of  1915  (Table  VII),  only  374,  or  2  per 
cent.,  were  ahead  of  their  grade  for  their  age,  as  compared 


1 TABLE  vn 

CHILDREN  UNDER.  AGE.NORMAL  ACE  AND  OVZR  XGE 


Number  in  Each  Grade 

Total 
in 
each 

Grade 

Percent  in   Each  Grade. 

Srades 

Under  Me. 

Normal  Age 

Over  Aqe 

Under  Aqe 

Normal  Aqe 

Over  Aqe 

I 

4 

1579 

£439 

40E2 

.1 

39.3 

6O.  6 

II 

11 

354 

£176 

2541 

.4 

13.9 

85.7 

ftl 

33 

351 

1828 

zz\z 

1.5 

15.8 

BZ.  7 

IV 

3G 

£9G 

1707 

2039 

1.8 

14.5 

63.7 

V 

31 

246 

1549 

18Z6 

1  .7 

13.5 

84.8 

V 

48 

164 

1170 

138E 

3.5 

11.8 

84.7 

VT 

40 

172 

887 

1099 

3.6 

15.7 

80.7 

VII 

50 

164 

G82 

894 

5.6 

18.3 

76.  1 

IX 

139 

489 

GG9 

6.1 

ao.a 

73.1 

X 

105 

375 

5?0 

7.7 

2Q.Z 

72.1 

Ju 

64 

271 

385 

7.8 

21.9 

70.3 

XI 

10 

23 

2G 

59 

39. 

44. 

Total 

374 

3677 

13599 

17.G50 

2  a 

20.8 

77. 

Modern  Elementary  School 


Recess  in  up-to-date  urban  school 


ENROLMENT  AND  ATTENDANCE  89 

to  13,599,  or  77  per  cent.,  who  were  behind  their  grade.1 
These  figures  are,  of  course,  not  absolutely  accurate;  but 
the  possible  error2  in  them  would  not  greatly  modify  our 


VII  is  based  on  Table  V.  In  Table  V  the  number  to  the  left 
of  the  block  represents  the  children  in  the  grade  under  age,  the  number  in 
the  block  those  of  normal  age,  and  the  number  to  the  right  of  the  block 
those  over-age.  Over-age  in  this  case  is  judged  from  the  point  of  view 
of  entering  the  grade,  6  up  to  7  being  taken  as  the  normal  age  for  begin- 
ning the  first  grade,  7  up  to  8  for  the  second  grade,  and  so  on.  On  this 
basis  a  child  should  enter  the  eighth  grade  between  13  and  up  to  14  and 
complete  an  eight-grade  course  by  15. 

The  ages  of  the  children  are  those  of  their  last  birthday,  and  not,  as 
they  should  be,  when  over-age  is  judged  from  entering  the  grade  in  a 
system  having  annual  promotion,  as  of  the  beginning  of  the  official  school 
year.  What  difference  in  the  amount  of  over-age  reported,  this  differ- 
ence in  the  time  of  taking  the  ages  of  the  children  makes,  it  is  impossible 
to  say,  but  in  all  probability  it  is  very  small.  Again,  the  ages  of  the 
children  are  those  recorded  in  the  school  records  by  the  teachers  as  given 
by  the  children  themselves.  No  documentary  evidence  of  age  is  re- 
quired, nor  is  there  any  great  effort  made  on  the  part  of  the  teachers 
to  verify  the  age  given. 

Finally,  there  is  one  point  at  issue  which  makes,  according  as  it  is 
settled,  a  difference  of  30  per  cent,  in  the  amount  of  over-age  reported. 
There  are  those  who  claim  that  the  elementary  school  course  in  Mary- 
land is  an  eight-year  course,  the  additional  grade  being  accounted  for  by 
the  first  grade's  covering  the  work  ordinarily  done  in  the  first  and  second 
years.  There  is  nothing  in  the  state  course  of  study  to  justify  this  posi- 
tion. Nor  is  there  anything  in  the  first-grade  enrolment  of  the  fourteen 
cities  from  which  the  data  were  collected,  except  at  Annapolis,  Bruns- 
wick, Cristfield,  Hagerstown,  and  Cumberland.  But  a  study  of  the 
work  of  the  first  grade  in  at  least  three  of  these  places  reveals  on  the  one 
hand  rather  more  advanced  instruction  in  arithmetic  than  is  ordinarily 
done  in  the  first  grade,  but  shows  on  the  other  that  reading  is  on  the 
whole  under  grade.  Hence  even  in  the  cities  having  an  unusual  large 
first-grade  enrolment,  there  is  no  ground  for  holding  that  the  first  grade 
represents  two  years  of  school  work. 

^This  error  may  arise  from  two  factors:  (i)  Children  may  blunder 
slightly  in  stating  their  age;  (2)  there  is  some  confusion,  due  to  the  fact 
that,  as  the  course  of  study  is  planned  for  seven  years,  it  is  a  question 
whether  the  first  grade  does  not  represent  two  years'  work.  However, 
even  were  it  assumed  that  the  first  grade  combines  two  years'  work,  47 
per  cent,  of  the  children,  above  considered,  would  be  over-age  —  a  condi- 
tion scarcely  paralleled  in  any  American  city  in  which  the  problem  of 
over-age  has  been  investigated. 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 


verdict.    The  conditions  which  they  reveal  are,  to  say 
the  least,  very  bad. 

Over-age — i.  e.,  being  older  than  a  normal  child  in  a 
given  class1  should  be — is  more  serious  in  the  upper  than 
in  the  lower  grades.  For  a  young  child  who  has  fallen 
behind  may  by  working  hard  catch  up  with  his  class. 
If,  however,  he  is  in  an  upper  grade,  the  chances  are  that, 
should  he  fall  behind,  he  will  drop  out  of  school,  instead 
of  retrieving  the  lost  ground.  In  Maryland  over-age 
runs  straight  through  the  schools.  Enormous  numbers  of 
children  of  all  grades  are  behind  where  they  ought  to  be. 
(Fig.  9.)  Eighty-five  children  out  of  every  hundred  are 
over-age  in  the  second  grade;  and  81  out  of  one  hundrec' 


GRAPES  i 


FIG.   Q 

PERCENT  OF  CHILD1&N  DfEACH  GKM>E  OVE*.  A&E 

I       I      IT      2:      3ZT     W.     M     TX.     X      1C     SIT  TOTAL 


10 


^The  "normal"  child  in  this  sense  is  the  child  who  is  in  Grade  I  when 
he  is  six  years  old  and  thereafter  advances  at  the  rate  of  one  grade  every 
year. 


ENROLMENT  AND  ATTENDANCE 


in  the  seventh  grade.  Conditions  are  practically  as  bad 
in  the  high  school,  where  76  per  cent,  are  behind  in  the 
first  year,  and  70  per  cent,  in  the  fourth  year  of  the 
course.1 

As  has  been  already  pointed  out,  over-age  almost  in- 
evitably results  in  abbreviating  the  child's  stay  in  school. 
This  is  certainly  the  case  when  children  are  retarded  more 
than  a  year  or  two.  (Fig.  10.)  For  children  who  ought 
to  finish  their  elementary  schooling  at  fourteen  will  not 
remain  till  they  are  sixteen  or  seventeen  for  that  purpose. 
Now  the  3,493  children2  who  are  between  one  and  two 
years  behind  their  grade  would,  if  they  remain  in  school 
and  advance  regularly,  be  between  15  and  16  when  they 
complete  the  elementary  course.  Similarly,  the  1,058 
who  are  between  three  and  four  years  behind  their  proper 
grade  would  be  between  17  and  18  on  completing  the 
elementary  course  of  study.  Of  course  children  do  not 

^ee  Table  VII  on  page  88. 

STABLE  VIII 
THt  WUK5ER  OF  YEARS  PUPILS   ARE  OVER  AGE 


Grade 

Less  than 
one  year 

I  year  and 
less  than  2 

£  years  and 
l^s  than  3 

3  years  and 
less  than  4 

4  years  and 
more 

Total 
Over-Age 

I 
It 
III 
IV 
V 
VI 
VII 

U45 
845 
625 
541 
463 
379 
358 

683 

671 

528 
476 
474 
361 
-300 

308 
346 
336 
344 
33» 
260 
175 

133 
166 
186 
Z13 
184 

tie 

58 

70 
148 
153 
127 
69 
58 
16 

Z439 
2176 
1828 
1707 
1549 
1170 
887 

Total 

4436 

3493 

eiO8 

1058 

661 

11756 

VIII 
IX 
X 
XI 

ni 

2J6 
209 
175 
116 
22 

232  ' 
170 
119 
11.2 

124 
85 
59 
33 

41 
22 
18 
8 

9 
3 
4 
2 

682 
489 
375 
271  - 
26  f 

Total 

796 

fo3T 

301 

89 

ie 

1843 

Grand  Total 

5234 

4130 

24O9 

1147 

679 

92         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

remain  in  the  lower  school  to  any  such  ages.  If  they  did, 
there  would  now  be  about  4,000  children  16  years  of  age 
or  older  in  the  elementary  schools  of  the  Maryland  towns 
we  have  been  considering;  there  are,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
only  1 65.*  It  is  thus  evident  that  probably  96  per  cent. 


FIG.    10 


PERCENT  OF  OVERAGE  PUPILS 
BEHINP  THEIR 


ELEMENTAL 
HIGH  SCHOOL 

COMBINED 
PERCENT  0 


30       4-0.         50          60        7°          .80         90         iOO 


of  the  children  now  behind  their  grade  will  drop  out  be- 
fore completing  the  course;  in  all  probability  they  will 
lose  just  about  as  many  grades  as  they  are  now  in  arrears. 
Our  estimate,  then,  that  not  to  exceed  50  per  cent,  of  the 
white  children  enrolled  in  the  schools  are  getting  more 
than  a  fifth-grade  education  is  shown  to  be  well  within  the 
facts. 

Several  factors  combine  to  account  for  the  extent  of 
over-age  in  the  Maryland  schools.  Late  entrance  is  one; 
irregular  attendance,  another.  Children  once  enrolled 


iSee  Table  V,  page  86. 


ENROLMENT  AND  ATTENDANCE     93 

cannot  be  promoted  regularly  unless  they  attend  regu- 
larly. It  has  already  been  pointed  out  that  the  enrol- 
ment falls  short  of  the  school  population.  Attention 
must  now  be  directed  to  the  fact  that,  of  the  children  who 
are  enrolled — children,  that  is,  who  propose  to  attend 
school,  only  about  half  attended  on  the  average  in  1880; 
since  then  attendance  has  steadily  improved  until  in 
1914  the  average  daily  attendance,  in  so  far  as  the  enrol- 
ment is  concerned,  reached  65.3  per  cent.  (Fig.  n.) 


FIG.    II 


PER  CENT  OF  ENROLMENT  IN  AVERAGE  DAILY  ATTENDANCE 
1880  1890  1900  1910  1914 


This  is,  to  be  sure,  a  great  improvement  from  the  stand- 
point of  1880;  but  it  is  still  poor;  for  it  means  that  of  every 
one  hundred  children  enrolled,  34  are  now  absent  daily. 
The  plant  thus  seems  to  be  running  at  only  two-thirds 
capacity.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  far  from  doing  even 
this!  For  attendance  should  be  calculated  on  the  basis 
of  school  population,  not  of  school  enrolment — on  the 
basis,  that  is,  of  the  children  who  ought  to  be  going  to 
school  rather  than  on  the  basis  of  those  who  are  really 


94         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

going.  Thus  considered,  the  average  daily  attendance 
was  31  per  cent,  in  1880 — less,  that  is,  than  one- third  of 
what  it  should  have  been;  and  it  was  47.1  per  cent,  in 
1914 — less  than  one-half  of  what  it  should  have  been. 
The  plant  is  working,  therefore,  not  two- thirds  capacity — 
assuming  that  there  are  accommodations  for  all  children 
between  6  and  18 — but  less  than  one-half  capacity. 
(Fig.  12.)  Hence  the  schools  are  not  doing  half  their  job, 


FIG.    12 


SCHOOL   POPULATION 
VAILY  ATTENDANCE 


1880  1890  1900  1910  191* 


even  when  quantity  alone  is  considered. 

In  these  statements  no  distinction  is  made  between 
white  and  colored  children.  One  might  suppose  that  a 
high  average  attendance  among  white  children  is  brought 
down  by  a  low  average  attendance  on  the  part  of  colored 
children.  This  is,  however,  not  the  case.  Colored  chil- 
dren do  indeed  attend  school  less  regularly  than  white, 
but  the  difference  is  not  sufficient  to  account  for  the  bad 
showing.  In  1914  the  attendance  of  colored  children 
averaged  59  per  cent,  against  67  per  cent,  for  whites:  that 


ENROLMENT  AND  ATTENDANCE 


95 


is,  33  white  children  out  of  every  hundred  were  missing 
as  against  41  colored.     (Fig.  13.) 

FIG.  13 

PERCENT  OF  WHITE  &  COLORED  SCHOOL  ENROLL- 
MENT IN  AVERAGE  DAILY  ATTENDANCE 


20 


1880 


1890 


1900 


1910     1914 


Conditions  do,  however,  vary  greatly  in  the  various 
counties.  Whether  children  attend  school  regularly  or  not 
depends  on  several  factors — on  the  attitude  of  parents, 
on  the  merits  of  the  schools,  on  the  condition  of  roads, 
etc.  Obviously,  sections  differ  in  these  respects.  (Fig. 
14.)  Baltimore  County,  with  a  relatively  superior  school 
system  and  good  physical  conditions,  leads  the  white 
schools  of  the  state  with  an  average  daily  attendance 
of  73  per  cent.;  St.  Mary's  brings  up  the  rear  with  55  per 
cent.  Even  were  the  white  schools  of  these  two  counties 
of  equal  efficiency,  Baltimore  County  gives  its  children 
a  better  education  with  only  27  out  of  each  one  hundred 


g6         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

absent  daily  than  St.  Mary's  gives  with  45  absent  daily. 
Similar  differences  are  to  be  observed  in  the  attendance 

FIG.   14 

Per  cent  of  Enrolment  in  Average  Daily  Attendance  by  Counties 
too 


90 
80 
70 
60 
50 
40 

eo 
to 

0 


WHITE 


^-.,-.     COLOREP 


. 

I  i  1 1 1 1 1  j  1 1 1 1 1  j  i ! ! ! :  1 1 1 1  i 

<<CQUUUQUQfeOffiffiWS    0<aa$c7>h£££-« 

of  colored  children.  For  example,  the  average  number  of 
colored  children  in  attendance  in  1914  in  Worcester 
County  was  40  per  cent,  of  the  enrolment,  whereas  55 
per  cent,  attended  in  Wicomico. 

The  tabulated  records  of  the  county  superintendents 
are  so  lacking  in  details  that  a  more  intensive  study  of 
attendance  cannot  be  made.  There  is  no  way  of  telling 


ENROLMENT  AND  ATTENDANCE 


97 


from  the  reports  whether  children  attend  city  schools 
more  regularly  or  less  regularly  than  rural  schools; 
whether  they  attend  the  one-room  school  more  regularly 
or  less  regularly  than  the  two-  or  three-room  school.  For 
the  purpose  of  furnishing  an  illustration  of  what  should 
and  can  be  always  done  in  this  matter,  a  special  investi- 
gation was  made  in  Queen  Anne  and  Howard  counties, 
the  former  located  in  the  central  part  of  the  Eastern 
Shore,  the  latter  in  the  central  section  of  the  Western 
Shore.1  In  these  counties  attendance  was  poorest  in  the 
colored  schools  and  best  in  the  city  schools  (Ellicott 
City  and  Centerville).  (Fig.  15.)  The  great  difficulty 


FIG.   15 


PERCENT  OF  ATTENDANCE  IN  HOWARD  AND  QUEEN  ANNE  COUNTIES 


COLORED 


ONE  ROOM       MORE  THAN  ONE  ROOK 
RURAL  VILLAGE 

+    W 


CITY 


*Data  were  collected  upon  the  number  of  days  each  child  enrolled  was 
in  school  during  the  Winter  Term  of  1915.  In  presenting  these  data, 
attendance  is  computed  upon  the  basis  of  the  number  of  days  the  schools 
were  open  during  the  term  in  question  and  upon  the  number  of  days  of 
actual  attendance.  Ordinarily,  attendance  is  computed  upon  the  basis 
of  the  days  in  school  after  a  child  once  enrolls,  no  account  thus  being 
taken  of  the  days  lost  or  the  absence  due  to  entering  a  week  or  two  after 
the  opening  of  the  term. 


98         PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

of  getting  to  and  from  school  accounts  in  part  only  for 
the  lower  attendance  in  the  case  of  the  one-room  rural 
and  village  school  as  compared  with  the  city  schools.  No 
small  part  of  the  difference  is  doubtless  due  to  lack  of 
interest  in  education  on  the  part  of  parents.  This  lack  is 
clearly  revealed  when  the  difference  of  age  is  taken  into 
account.  For  at  every  age,  city  children  attend  more 
regularly  than  country  children.  (Fig.  16.)  Now,  the 

FIG.   1  6 

PCKXNT  Of  ABSENCE    BY  AGES  IN  KUKAL  AND  CITY  SCHOOLS 
FOR.  HOWARD  AND  Q.UZEN  ANNE  COUNTIES 
ONE  ROOM  R.VXAJL  CITY  SCHOOLS 


30   40    50    GO   70   80  90    100  90   80    70    60    50  40    30    ZO    10    O 


country  boy  has  no  pressing  work  on  the  farm  in  winter. 
Differences  in  physical  conditions  do  not,  therefore, 
clearly  explain  why  86  per  cent,  of  the  city  children  of  13 
attend  school  as  against  63  per  cent,  of  country  children; 
or  why  88  per  cent,  of  the  city  children  of  14  attend  as 
against  56  per  cent,  of  country  children.  The  attitude 
of  parents  and  the  quality  of  the  instruction  are  factors 


ENROLMENT  AND  ATTENDANCE     99 

of  great  importance,  especially  in  the  absence  of  effective 
machinery  for  bringing  about  attendance. 

Even  more  striking  are  the  differences  in  the  attendance 
of  the  children  of  high  school  age.  In  one-room  rural 
schools,  pupils  15  years  of  age  and  over  comprise  only  9 
per  cent,  of  the  total  enrolment;  and  this  9  per  cent, 
attended  school  only  50  per  cent,  of  the  time.  In  city 
schools,  on  the  other  hand,  this  same  age-group  makes 
up  26  per  cent,  of  the  total  enrolment  and  they  make 
an  attendance  record  of  91  per  cent.  The  failure  of  the 
one-room  rural  school  not  only  to  attract  but  to  hold 
children  15  or  more  years  of  age  thus  unquestionably 
indicates  both  a  lack  of  supporting  sentiment  on  the 
part  of  parents,  and,  quite  as  clearly,  the  inability  of 
the  one-room  rural  school  to  provide  work  suited  to 
the  ability  and  the  interests  of  children  of  high  school 
age. 

Whatever  the  causes  of  the  poor  attendance,  that  14 
per  cent,  of  the  children  enrolled  in  the  schools  of  the 
cities  should  be  absent  every  day  is  bad  enough;  but  that 
as  many  as  36  per  cent,  of  those  in  one-room  rural  schools 
should  be  continuously  absent  is  fatal  to  effective  work. 
What  can  be  expected  in  the  way  of  instruction  when  in 
one-room  rural  schools  31  per  cent,  of  the  children,  in 
the  village  schools  19  per  cent.,  and  in  the  city  schools  8 
per  cent.,  are  absent  on  the  average  more  than  half  the 
time?  The  significance  of  these  facts  in  terms  of  the 
amount  of  instruction  received  is  illustrated  by  condi- 
tions in  a  fifth  grade  containing  6  pupils  in  the  Sandy 


ioo       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

Mountain  School  of  Carroll  County.  During  the  first 
ioo  days  of  the  past  school  year,  the  number  of  spelling 
lessons  received  by  each  pupil  was  as  follows:  One  pupil 
received  the  full  ioo  lessons — for  he  was  never  absent — 
the  second  received  98,  the  third  94,  the  fourth  81,  the 
fifth  69,  the  sixth  57,  for  he  was  absent  almost  half  of  the 
time.  If  the  work  to  be  properly  done  required  ioo 
lessons,  a  pupil  receiving  only  57  lessons  has  at  best 
covered  but  slightly  more  than  half  of  the  work  of  the 
grade. 

The  effect  of  absence  would  be  less  disastrous  if  it  were 
continuous  at  some  one  period;  that  is,  one  prolonged 
absence  is  infinitely  preferable  to  recurrence  of  brief  peri- 
ods of  absence.  Yet  recurrence  is  the  rule.  The  child 
comes  to  school  for  a  few  days  and  then  stays  away  a  few 
days;  and  thus  throughout  the  year.  A  single  case  will 
illustrate.  Pupil  "A"  in  School  No.  2,  District  7, 
Carroll  County,  was  present  the  first  four  days  of 
the  first  week  of  the  term.  Then  an  absence  of  five 
days  occurred,  followed  by  five  days  in  school  and 
eight  days  out.  A  single  day  covered  the  next  period 
of  attendance;  then  five  days  of  absence;  next  two  days 
at  school  and  two  at  home,  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the 
term. 

Absence  destroys  the  morale  and  wastes  the  time  not 
only  of  the  absentee  but  of  the  entire  school.  A  teacher, 
seeking  to  keep  the  absentees  up  with  the  class,  gives 
them  special  attention  when  they  do  attend,  and  in  this 
way  neglects  the  pupils  regularly  at  school.  Or,  despair- 


ENROLMENT  AND  A7T£NPA1<JCE;  ^  ^ 

ing  of  keeping  the  absentees  up  to  grade,  she  makes  of 
them  a  separate  group,  thus  adding  to  the  already  exces- 
sive number  of  classes.  Effective  work  is  impossible 
under  such  conditions. 

The  friends  of  public  education  in  Maryland  have  not 
been  unaware  of  the  situation  which  we  have  described. 
The  State  Board  of  Education,  the  county  superintend- 
ents, and  bodies  of  citizens  have  repeatedly  urged  the 
passage  of  a  compulsory  school  attendance  law.  At  a 
recent  session  of  the  legislature  their  hopes  seemed  about 
to  be  realized.  When,  however,  the  proposed  bill  came 
from  the  legislature  most  of  its  effective  features  had  been 
eliminated.  Worse  still,  compulsory  measures  were 
made  optional  with  the  county  school  boards,  Howard, 
Kent,  Anne  Arundel,  Worcester,  St.  Mary's,  and 
Somerset  counties  being  even  denied  the  privilege  of 
exercising  an  option.  Wretched  as  is  this  makeshift, 
the  law  has  had  a  perceptible  effect,  as  is  evidenced  by  the 
increase  of  attendance  between  1910  and  IQI4-1  Mary- 
land is,  however,  for  all  practical  purposes  still  without 
an  attendance  law  worthy  of  the  name.  In  consequence, 
her  public  schools  are  now  reaching  less  than  three- 
fourths  of  the  white  children  of  school  age  (6-18),  while 
probably  half  of  her  white  children  are  taking  up  the 
duties  of  parenthood  and  of  citizenship  with  a  fifth-grade 
education  or  less.  More  money  may  be  spent  upon 
schoolhouses,  better  prepared  and  higher  priced  teachers 

^ee  Figs.  12  and  13. 


tf»£  ;,  :P.UBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

may  be  employed,  and  adequate  professional  control  and 
supervision  may  be  provided,  but  unless  the  children  of 
school  age  are  gotten  into  the  schools  and  kept  there 
regularly,  the  results  achieved  must  continue  to  be  unsat- 
isfactory. 


VIII.    INSTRUCTION 

OF  ALL  the  difficulties  connected  with  judging  an 
educational  system,  perhaps  the  most  serious  is 
the  difficulty  of  reaching  and  justifying  a  judg- 
ment as  to  the  quality  of  instruction.  Within  any  given 
system,  no  matter  what  the  conditions  in  respect  to  the 
training  of  teachers,  their  appointment,  or  their  super- 
vision, great  variations,  arising  from  differences  of  ability 
and  industry,  will  inevitably  occur.  Under  the  most 
unfavorable  circumstances  effective  teaching  will  some- 
times be  found.  It  would  therefore  be  unfair  to»brand 
all  the  teaching  in  Maryland  as  poor,  simply  because 
general  conditions  make  for  poor  teaching. 

Again,  the  investigator's  unaided  judgment  is  not  in- 
variably sound.  It  ought  to.be  possible  to  prove  teach- 
ing good  or  bad  by  objective  tests;  and  indeed  a  promis- 
ing movement  in  this  direction  is  well  under  way. 
Aside,  however,  from  other  obstacles,  the  technique  of 
testing  is  perhaps  hardly  as  yet  well  enough  established 
to  warrant  a  state- wide  application.  Besides  the  defects 
of  teaching  to  which  we  shall  call  attention  are  too  obvi- 
ous, too  widespread  to  require  elaborate  demonstration. 

In  the  course  of  our  study  of  public  education  in  Mary- 
land, elementary  schools  were  visited  in  every  county 

103 


104       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

of  the  state;  altogether  more  than  450  elementary  teach- 
ers were  observed  in  giving  about  900  lessons,  every  grade 
and  every  subject  being  included.  As  schools  were  vis- 
ited at  random,  it  may  be  considered  that  the  general 
situation  was  adequately  sampled.  The  points  in  refer- 
ence to  which  instruction  was  observed  were,  as  will 
appear  in  the  course  of  this  chapter,  simple,  fundamental, 
and  untechnical.  In  the  first  place,  we  tried  to  ascertain 
whether  the  instruction  was  such  as  to  promise  children  a 
competent  mastery  of  the  necessary  tools  of  knowledge 
— reading,  writing,  spelling,  and  arithmetic;  whether  good 
judgment  or  poor  judgment  was  used  in  determining  the 
amount  and  character  of  the  material  studied  in  these  sub- 
jects. Were  children  reading  well-selected  pieces?  Were 
they  learning  to  spell  usable  or  useless  words?  Were  they 
doing  sensible  or  absurd  arithmetical  problems? 

In  addition  to  the  fundamental  studies  the  course  of 
study  in  Maryland  includes  a  considerable  variety  of 
subjects — geography,  history,  literature,  science,  etc.— 
subjects  that  have  not  only  instrumental  but  inspira- 
tional value.  They  assist  a  child  to  find  his  place  in  the 
world  and  society;  they  increase  the  range  of  his  interests 
and  activities.  Such  subjects  may  be  mechanically 
taught,  so  as  to  do  little  good,  or  they  may  be  inspiringly 
taught,  so  as  to  stir  the  child  more  or  less  deeply.  Where- 
ever  we  went,  we  endeavored  to  gauge  the  child's  reaction 
—to  determine,  that  is,  whether  the  instruction  was  genu- 
ine or  merely  routine. 

Closely  allied  is  another  point  of  view.    We  spoke  just 


INSTRUCTION  105 

now  of  helping  the  child  to  find  his  place  in  the  world. 
The  schools  used  to  do  their  teaching  regardless  of  chil- 
dren's experiences  and  environment.  Nowadays  there  is 
general  agreement  that  the  child's  experiences  and  sur- 
roundings furnish  the  teacher  with  material  to  be  used,  and 
suggest  to  him  important  ends  to  strive  toward.  With- 
out pretending  to  offer  in  this  connection  a  complete 
theory  of  education,  we  venture  to  think  that  instruc- 
tion may  fairly  be  viewed  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
child's  experiences,  immediate  surroundings,  and  probable 
needs. 

Finally,  the  child's  progress  is  to  be  considered.  The 
very  term  " course  of  study"  suggests  orderly  develop- 
ment. The  Maryland  elementary  school  course,  occupy- 
ing seven  years,  promises  systematic  progress  through 
a  variety  of  studies.  Does  the  instruction  realize  the 
promise?  Do  children  move  from  point  to  point  without 
needless  friction  and  waste?  Or  is  the  classroom  work 
more  or  less  of  treadmill  character? 

These,  then,  are  the  questions  informally  asked  re- 
garding the  work  of  the  Maryland  teachers.  Do  children 
learn  to  master  the  fundamental  subjects?  Are  their 
interests  stimulated?  Are  the  materials  well  chosen? 
Are  local  needs  heeded?  Are  time  and  energy  conserved? 
The  questions  are  obviously  not  exhaustive,  but,  as  will 
appear,  they  amply  serve  our  present  purpose. 

A  casual  visitor  whose  good  fortune  led  him  into 
selected  schools  in  almost  any  county  might  answer 
these  questions  in  the  affirmative.  In  almost  every 


io6       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

county  of  the  state  some  teachers  are  doing  excellent 
work.  Their  schoolrooms  are  bright  and  attractive; 
their  pupils  alert  and  happy;  their  methods  intelligent 
and  effective;  the  course  of  study  is  adapted  to  individual 
and  to  community  needs.  The  teacher's  ability,  train- 
ing, and  ambition  triumph  over  whatever  adverse  condi- 
tions may  exist. 

None  the  less,  the  system  does  not  tend  to  produce  these 
results;  they  come  about  in  spite  of  the  system.  In 
the  main,  therefore,  while  gladly  recognizing  the  existence 
of  exceptions,  we  are  constrained  to  answer  negatively 
the  questions  above  asked.  Children  do  not,  for  the 
most  part,  learn  to  master  their  tools;  their  interests  are 
far  from  sufficiently  stimulated;  local  needs  get,  as  a  rule, 
scant  attention;  time  and  energy  are  freely  wasted. 

In  the  first  place,  the  general  attitude  of  most  teachers 
is  unsound.  They  regard  it  as  their  main  business,  after 
keeping  order,  to  impart  to  children  a  prescribed  body 
of  facts  or  information — so  much  spelling,  so  much  arith- 
metic, so  much  geography.  The  facts  are  all  there  in  the 
text-books,  and  the  teachers  proceed  on  the  assumption 
that  one  fact  is  as  good  as  another.  Whatever  is  printed 
on  the  page  is  taught  without  discrimination.  Imagine, 
then,  a  teacher  giving  a  sixth-grade  class  of  rural  children 
a  spelling  lesson  made  up  of  such  words  as  monsieur, 
connoisseur,  sobriquet,  sang  froid,  and  so  on.  A  third- 
grade  geography  lesson  upon  the  Middle  Atlantic  States 
illustrates  the  same  point.  "Name  the  Middle  Atlantic 
States,"  directs  the  teacher,  and  the  pupils  answer  either 


INSTRUCTION  107 

individually  or  in  concert.  "What  is  the  capital  of 
Maryland?"  "Of  what  is  Washington  the  capital?" 
"Who  knows  what  Washington  is  on?"  "What  is  the 
capital  of  Virginia?"  So  on  for  the  remaining  states  of 
this  division.  Not  a  single  question  was  put  by  the 
teacher  calculated  to  arouse  interest,  to  compel  thought, 
or  to  bring  out  the  meaning  of  what  had  been  memorized. 
Nor  did  the  teacher  make  a  single  comment  herself. 
Thus,  in  subject  after  subject,  children  are  expected  to 
acquire  facts  through  memorizing  printed  pages.  Mean- 
while, strange  though  it  seem,  not  half  the  400  teachers 
visited  felt  that  they  themselves  must  know  these  facts. 
For  the  majority,  while  conducting  the  recitation,  were 
compelled  to  keep  their  eyes  glued  on  the  text  in  order  to 
ask  the  questions;  not  infrequently  the  whole  perform- 
ance stopped,  so  as  to  enable  the  teacher  to  read  ahead 
to  the  next  question.  Sometimes  the  teacher  was  com- 
pelled to  look  at  the  book  to  see  whether  the  answers 
given  were  correct. 

Not  only  must  the  child  " recite"  the  facts  just  learned, 
he  must,  of  course,  "  retain  "  them.  Hence  they  must  be 
thoroughly  beaten  in  and  fixed  permanently  in  memory. 
Thus  endless  reviews  and  ever-recurrent  drilk  are  ac- 
counted for.  In  some  schools  as  much  as  hai  of  the 
school  year  is  devoted  to  "reviews";  not  uncommonly 
it  was  stated  that  pupils  had  covered  the  same  books 
three  or  four  times.  A  certain  amount  of  review  is,  of 
course,  needed  to  bring  out  the  relations  between  differ- 
ent subjects  and  different  parts  of  the  same  subject; 


io8       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

so  also  a  certain  amount  of  properly  conducted  drill,  in 
order  to  gain  accuracy  and  facility  in  conducting  funda- 
mental operations.  But  reviewing  and  drilling  as  carried 
on  in  most  Maryland  schools  is  a  cruel  and  wasteful 
procedure  calculated  to  kill  interest  and  to  destroy  the 
child's  capacity  for  constructive  thinking. 

A  volume  of  this  kind  is  not  the  place  for  a  full  expo- 
sition of  modern  ideas  on  teaching  method.  It  may, 
however,  not  be  amiss  to  point  out  that  a  "recitation," 
instead  of  the  mechanical  process  above  described,  should 
be  a  cooperative  and  constructive  enterprise,  in  which 
children  work  out  a  problem,  each  doing  his  part  accord- 
ing to  his  ability  and  special  assignment.  It  may  take 
dramatic  form — one  child  being  the  "big  bear,"  another 
the  "mother  bear,"  still  another  the  "little  bear,"  and 
one  "Silver  Locks";  or  one  group  of  pupils  may  solve 
and  explain  to  the  class  a  given  set  of  examples,  while 
another  group  is  engaged  with  other  problems;  or  in  the 
study  of  such  topics  as  Tomato  Raising  on  the  Eastern 
Shore,  the  Manufacture  and  Distribution  of  Fertilizer, 
Sanitary  Conditions  in  the  School  District,  one  pupil 
may  look  up  illustrative  material  such  as  pictures,  while 
another  arranges  experiments,  and  still  another  brings 
before  the  class  a  review  of  what  they  have  already 
learned.  Thus  in  a  hundred  ways  the  recitation  may  be 
made  a  period  of  working  together  in  the  achievement 
of  a  common  end,  quickening  the  interest  of  the  children, 
giving  them  opportunity  to  think,  and  engendering  a 
social  spirit.  And,  be  it  repeated,  here  and  there 


INSTRUCTION  109 

throughout  the  state  one  really  encounters  classroom 
work  of  this  description. 

The  problem  of  discipline  hinges  largely  on  the  quality 
of  instruction.  Generally  speaking,  there  exists  in  Mary- 
land a  cordial  relation  between  pupils  and  teachers;  the 
children  seem  anxious  to  do  what  is  required.  Still  they 
would  not  be  human  if  they  did  not  involuntarily  revolt 
against  a  system  of  education  which  consigns  active  boys 
and  girls,  for  long  periods  of  time,  to  uncomfortable 
desks  to  pore  over  text-books,  only  to  be  called  up  and 
questioned  upon  what  they  have  just  absorbed.  Under 
such  conditions  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  more  vigor- 
ous and  active  find  secret  ways  of  amusement,  while  the 
majority  sit  passive,  doing  worse  than  nothing  a  consid- 
erable part  of  the  time. 

There  is  a  tendency,  nowadays,  to  account  for  ineffec- 
tive teaching  of  the  fundamental  branches  on  the  ground 
that  teachers  and  children  are  so  distracted  by  "  recent 
fads"  that  there  is  neither  time  nor  energy  left  for  the 
" essentials."  Whether  or  not  this  apology  is  anywhere 
valid,  it  is  not  for  us  to  say;  at  least,  it  has  no  application 
to  Maryland.  The  state  course  of  study  does  indeed 
require  that  certain  modern  subjects  should  be  taught; 
but  its  injunctions  are  not  usually  followed.  Manual 
training  and  domestic  science,  for  example,  are  found  as 
a  rule  only  in  cities,  though  Baltimore  and  Wicomico 
counties  encourage  their  use  in  rural  districts,  too.  Mu- 
sic is  usually  limited  to  the  singing  of  songs  in  connection 
with  morning  exercises;  little  attention  is,  as  a  rule,  paid 


no       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

to  drawing.  In  many  cities  and  in  quite  all  villages  and 
rural  sections,  the  only  branches  taught  are  reading, 
writing,  spelling,  language  and  grammar,  arithmetic, 
geography,  history,  and  physiology.  To  the  three  R's 
Maryland  children  now  devote  fully  three-quarters  of 
their  school  time.  In  some  counties  arithmetic  con- 
sumes almost  half  of  the  entire  school  day;  not  exceeding 
one-quarter  of  the  day  goes  to  geography,  history,  physi- 
ology, and  to  whatever  there  may  be  in  the  way  of  music, 
drawing,  and  the  like.  Under  these  conditions  there  is 
certainly  no  ground  in  Maryland  for  thinking  that  the 
"fads"  have  usurped  the  place  of  the  " important" 
studies. 

Meanwhile,  the  time  that  might  well  be  devoted  to  the 
so-called  "fads"  is  worse  than  wasted.  Too  untrained 
to  make  use  of  alternative  occupations — weaving,  bas- 
ketry, literature,  art,  industry,  or  domestic  science — the 
teacher  is  hard  put  to  it  to  keep  the  class  constantly  occu- 
pied with  book  and  seat  work.  Hence  little  children  are 
required  to  copy  the  alphabet  over  and  over,  or  to  write 
again  and  again  the  numerals  from  one  to  a  hundred,  or, 
on  occasions,  up  to  two  or  three  thousand.  Older  chil- 
dren, having  acquired  some  ability  to  write,  are  set  to 
copying  page  after  page  of  their  readers,  or  to  solving 
on  paper  long  lists  of  problems  placed  on  the  blackboard. 
Thus  to  kill  time,  the  first-grade  pupils  divide  7,649,634  by 
7,  and  third-grade  pupils  divide  35,897,678,926  by  2,076. 
A  favorite  task,  especially  for  older  children,  is  to  require 
them  to  write  a  corrected  mistake  50  or  100  times! 


INSTRUCTION  in 

Of  course  formal  reiterative  work  of  this  kind  quickly 
degenerates  into  a  purely  mechanical  repetition,  during 
which  the  child's  mind  goes  " wool-gathering,"  though 
the  hands  keep  working  away.  Children  may  be  kept 
"busy"  through  such  assignments,  but  they  will  never 
be  "  taught."  This  is  illustrated  by  the  well-known 
story  of  the  boy  who  having  spelt  "gone"  "gorn"  was 
required  to  write  500  times,  "I  have  gone  home."  He 
completed  the  distasteful  task  by  writing:  "I  am  done 
and  I  have  gorn  home." 

When  the  methods  described  fail,  as  fail  they  must, 
the  untrained  teacher  naturally  leaps  to  the  conclusion 
that  "more  time"  is  needed.  Accordingly,  large  assign- 
ments and  enormous  tasks  are  given  out  for  home  work. 
In  consequence,  children  going  home  from  school  are  to 
be  seen  almost  everywhere  with  bundles  of  books  por- 
tending night  study.  If  school  conditions  were  good, 
there  would  be  no  occasion  for  night  work  on  the  part 
of  growing  children.  But  even  as  conditions  now  are,  in 
the  majority  of  schools,  no  useful  end  is  served  by  it. 
The  children  had  better  spend  their  after-school  time  at 
play,  helping  about  the  farm  or  the  home,  reading  or 
asleep.  "Home  work"  merely  lengthens  the  hours  of 
mechanical  school  drudgery.  Nor  is  the  value  of  the  in- 
struction any  greater,  even  if  some  children  can  be 
tempted  by  prizes  and  privileges,  to  make  greater  efforts 
to  master  it. 

What  we  have  said  above  as  to  the  general  character 
of  instruction  may  be  briefly  illustrated  by  separate  sub- 


ii2        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

jects.  The  most  important  of  the  common  school  studies 
is  reading;  and  reading  is  important  because — and  only 
because — it  is  a  key  to  meanings,  to  ideas,  to  information, 
etc.  A  child  should  therefore  be  taught  not  only  to  pro- 
nounce printed  words,  but  to  gather  and  to  express  the 
meaning  of  what  he  reads;  for  which  purpose  he  should  be 
trained  to  read  not  only  aloud,  but,  as  the  children  say, 
"to  himself."  The  children  in  the  Maryland  schools, 
like,  we  are  in  candor  compelled  to  add,  the  children  in 
most  other  schools,  get  little  exercise  in  the  art  of  reading 
beyond  the  mechanical  utterance  of  printed  words  and 
sentences.  Little  or  nothing  is  done  in  the  reading  les- 
son to  arouse  the  imagination;  reading  is  rarely  used  to 
cultivate  facility  in  oral  expression.  Lacking,  then,  an 
adequate  motive,  reading  in  the  lower  grades  is  apt  to 
degenerate  into  mere  mumbling,  and  in  the  upper  grades 
to  drop  out  almost  altogether.  Only  here  and  there  does 
one  find  a  teacher  who  realizes  the  possibilities  of  the 
subject. 

Spelling  is  in  substantially  the  same  situation.  In  the 
elementary  schools  children  should,  for  obvious  reasons, 
learn  to  spell  the  words  they  themselves  ordinarily  use, 
the  words  they  ordinarily  hear,  the  words  used  in  the 
other  branches  which  they  study,  and,  finally,  words  that 
are  in  common  daily  use.  These  words  children  must 
and  can  know  both  how  to  spell  and  how  to  use.  The 
Maryland  schools  have  reached  no  such  conclusions  as 
these  on  the  subject  of  spelling.  To  them,  as  already 
pointed  out,  a  word  is  a  word,  and  .it  is  just  as  important 


INSTRUCTION  113 

to  learn  one  word  as  another.  Accordingly,  long  and  in- 
discriminate lists  are  given  out,  and  from  the  fourth 
grade  up,  children  endeavor  unsuccessfully  to  become 
letter  perfect  in  the  acquisition  of  from  20  to  50  words 
a  day. 

Arithmetic,  like  spelling,  is  a  tool  needed  for  the 
transaction  of  the  ordinary  affairs  of  life.  It  ought, 
therefore,  to  be  studied  in  connection  with  its  uses;  it  is, 
moreover,  a  waste  of  time  to  study  any  more  of  it  than 
can  be  used.  Dry  measure  is  thus  not  a  table  to  be 
memorized  from  a  book,  but  an  instrument  needed  in 
order  to  buy  potatoes,  apples,  peaches,  and  the  like  from 
the  neighboring  store.  Occasionally — it  would  perhaps 
be  more  nearly  accurate  to  say  "rarely" — one  sees  arith- 
metic taught  in  Maryland  from  this  standpoint.  The 
teacher,  in  these  instances,  centres  arithmetic  almost 
entirely  upon  farming  and  its  problems,  leading  the 
children  to  see  that  arithmetic  is  the  basis  of  intelligent 
farm  management.  Incidentally,  arithmetic  managed 
in  this  way  affords  the  teacher  opportunity  to  give  valu- 
able lessons  upon  soils,  crops,  and  soil  exhaustion,  and  to 
study  the  ingredients  of  different  fertilizers  in  relation 
to  the  needs  of  the  locality.  The  child  learns  to  "figure, " 
and  much  besides. 

For  the  most  part,  however,  arithmetic  is  taught  in  the 
schools  of  Maryland  without  reference  to  its  uses;  under 
which  conditions  one  thing  is  just  as  important  as  an- 
other. Cube  root  and  the  mensuration  of  cubes,  pyra- 
mids, and  truncated  cones  receive  as  much  attention  as 


ii4        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

home  and  farm  accounting.  Instruction,  then,  degen- 
erates into  memorizing  formal  tables  and  rules  and  the 
solution  of  printed  problems.  This  formal  work,  al- 
ready occupying  from  a  fourth  to  a  half  of  the  time  of  the 
children  at  school,  is  also  carried  off  to  the  home,  where 
by  lamplight  long  lists  of  printed  problems  are  copied 
and  solved  by  way  of  preparation  for  the  next  day,  when 
the  same  problems  are  re-copied  and  re-solved.  Not 
infrequently  children  have  copied  and  solved,  re-copied 
and  re-solved  these  problems  so  many  times  that  they  can 
repeat  whole  pages  of  them  from  memory. 

While  some  good  teaching  was  observed  in  the  field  of 
geography,  the  greater  part  of  the  teachers  do  not  realize 
that  the  prime  source  of  geographic  materials  is  the 
immediate  environment  of  the  school :  the  mountains  and 
hills,  the  rivers  and  valleys,  the  effect  of  climate  and 
change  of  season  upon  vegetable  life,  animal  life,  and 
local  industrial  and  commercial  activities.  Instead,  they 
follow  a  printed  text.  Hence,  children  recite  haltingly 
about  tidal-rivers  and  their  significance,  without  knowing 
that  the  brook  just  across  from  the  schoolhouse  is  a 
tidal-river;  or  they  answer  questions  about  the  Appala- 
chian Mountains,  even  giving  the  names  and  location  of 
the  minor  ranges,  without  realizing  that  the  mountains 
seen  from  the  schoolhouse  window  are  the  ones  they  are 
talking  about.  Again,  in  physiology,  pupils  recite  about 
bacteria,  first  aid,  and  various  ailments.  Meanwhile, 
they  breathe  an  atmosphere  filled  with  the  dust  just 
raised  by  an  old-fashioned  broom,  use  not  infrequently 


INSTRUCTION  115 

a  common  dipper,  and  resort  to  filthy  and  unsanitary 
outhouses. 

All  the  problems  of  instruction  are  complicated  in  the 
one-room  school.  Before  good  instruction  can  be  gen- 
erally expected  in  such  schools  the  state  must  plan  a 
simple  course  of  study,  with  alternating  classes,  so  that 
the  number  of  classes  may  be  reduced.  This  course  of 
study  should  not  be  copied  from  city  schools,  but  must 
be  adapted  to  the  education  of  country  children  under 
rural  conditions.  It  may  also  be  found  necessary  to 
limit  to  less  than  seven  the  grades  of  work  to  be  covered 
in  the  one-room  schools.  At  all  events,  classes  above 
the  seventh  grade  formed  for  the  convenience  of  two  or 
three  advanced  pupils  must  be  abandoned.  Twenty-five 
to  thirty-five  daily  recitations — the  average  in  the  one- 
room  rural  school — are  more  than  can  be  well  handled. 
If  eight  or  ten  more  " classes"  are  added  for  the  benefit 
of  two  or  three  advanced  pupils,  the  teacher's  energies 
are  so  scattered  that  no  one  gets  proper  attention  in  any- 
thing. Provision  must  be  made  for  these  older  pupils 
in  consolidated  schools. 

On  the  one  hand,  therefore,  the  one-room  school 
must  be  simplified  and  better  organized;  on  the  other, 
wherever  possible,  one-room  schools  should  be  consoli- 
dated so  that  a  larger  body  of  pupils  may  be  properly 
graded,  and  better  equipment,  better  teachers,  and  better 
accommodations  provided  for  them.  There  is  not  a 
county  in  Maryland  in  which  the  number  of  one-room 
schools  could  not  thus  be  greatly  reduced.  Something 


n6       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

has  indeed  already  been  accomplished  in  this  direction. 
In  Prince  George  County  the  Baden  Agricultural  High 
School,  organized  in  1911,  took  the  place  of  two  one-room 
schools  and  now  draws  the  older  pupils  from  eight  others. 
The  enrolment  for  the  entire  region  has  increased,  and  the 
attendance,  particularly  of  the  older  children,  improved. 
A  better  school  spirit  has  developed,  and  the  community 
is  inordinately  proud  of  its  consolidated  school.  Similar 
results  have  also  been  achieved  at  the  Sparks  Agricul- 
tural High  School,  Baltimore  County.  Howard,  Mont- 
gomery, Caroline,  and  a  few  others  also  furnish  examples. 
But  consolidation  is  not  yet  an  active  state  policy. 

Instruction  in  the  colored  schools  is,  as  one  would 
expect,  distinctly  inferior  to  that  in  the  white  schools. 
There  is,  however,  a  movement  well  under  way  which 
is  contributing  to  improvement.  Through  the  aid  of  the 
state  at  least  one  central  industrial  school  has  been 
established  in  each  of  sixteen  counties.  In  these  central 
schools  industrial  instruction  is  confined  in  the  main  to 
the  older  children,  comprising  for  girls  sewing  and  cook- 
ing, and  for  the  boys  woodwork.  The  girls  make  some 
of  their  own  clothes  and  cook,  while  the  boys  make  from 
wood  simple  household  articles  and  furniture.  The  in- 
struction is  exceedingly  practical,  usually  of  good  quality, 
giving  girls  a  training  in  home  duties  and  boys  some  skill 
with  tools  and  an  appreciation  of  manual  labor. 

Under  the  direction  of  the  colored  supervisor  indus- 
trial instruction  is  being  gradually  introduced  into  the 
rural  and  village  schools  of  counties  possessing  a  central 


Consolidated  Agricultural  High  School 


School  van  drawn  by  oxen 


INSTRUCTION  117 

school  of  the  type  just  described.  In  the  lower  grades 
children  do  paper-cutting  and  basketry;  the  girls  have 
simple  sewing,  and  the  boys  whittling.  In  the  upper 
grades  the  girls  learn  plain  sewing  and  dressmaking  and, 
in  a  few  schools,  some  cooking.  While  the  boys  in  the 
one-room  schools  are  handicapped  for  lack  of  a  shop  and 
tools,  they  are,  nevertheless,  doing  some  woodwork, 
making  articles  for  the  home  and  doing  repairs  about  the 
schoolhouse;  in  one  case  they  have  drained  the  school 
grounds,  repaired  the  sidewalk  and  fence,  and  painted 
the  school  building. 

Instruction  in  the  high  schools  is  but  little  better  than 
that  in  the  elementary  schools  and  is  in  general  character- 
ized by  the  same  defects.1  For,  like  the  elementary 
school  teacher,  the  high  school  teacher  lacks  proper  pro- 
fessional training;  and,  like  the  elementary  school,  the 
high  school,  despite  its  recent  development,  is  hampered 
by  tradition. 

The  public  high  schools  of  Maryland  have  grown 
rapidly  since  1905.  The  first  list  of  accredited  high 
schools,  carrying  out  acceptably  the  course  of  study 
prescribed  by  the  state,  made  up  in  1905,  included  only 
28  schools  with  an  enrolment  of  2,049  [children  and  88 
teachers.  Since  then  an  entire  year  has  been  added  to 
the  course  and  the  state  standards  have  become  some- 
what more  exacting;  nevertheless,  there  were  in  1914,  65 

^igh  schools  were  visited  in  every  county  of  the  state  having  them. 
In  addition  to  conferences  with  principals  and  teachers,  classwork  was 
carefully  observed  in  fifty  schools. 


n8        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

accredited  high  schools  enrolling  5,500  pupils  and  em- 
ploying 221  teachers.  Not  a  few  of  these  schools  are  the 
outgrowths  of  old  academies. 

In  this  transition  from  the  academy  to  the  public  high 
school  the  aims  and  methods  of  the  academy  were  un- 
fortunately very  largely  carried  over.  The  old  acad- 
emy, though  it  rendered  a  worthy  service  in  its  day,  was  a 
" select"  school,  privately  controlled,  which  prepared 
for  college  and  gave  to  those  not  going  farther  a  "  cul- 
tural" education.  Handicapped  by  this  tradition,  too 
many  of  the  new  high  schools  promote  "  cultural"  educa- 
tion and  preparation  for  college.  Latin  and  mathemat- 
ics continue  to  dominate  the  curriculum.  There  is,  of 
course,  no  reason  why  children  who  desire  to  study  Latin 
should  be  prevented  from  doing  so.  But  in  Maryland 
they  are  practically  compelled  to  study  Latin,  though, 
legally,  the  subject  is  not  compulsory.  In  the  main,  it  is 
so  poorly  taught,  that,  aside  from  the  waste  of  time  and 
energy,  most  students  must  be  contracting  from  it  habits 
of  thought  and  expression  that  are  a  real  handicap. 

Hardly  better  is  the  plight  of  mathematics.  The  state 
requirements  are  not  unusual,  including  algebra  through 
quadratics  and  plane  geometry.  But  few  high  schools 
are  content  with  this;  the  majority  offer,  besides,  ad- 
vanced algebra,  solid  geometry,  and  trigonometry. 
Whether  all  high  school  pupils,  both  boys  and  girls, 
should  be  required  to  study  algebra  and  geometry,  is 
sufficiently  doubtful;  indeed  an  increasingly  influential 
body  of  educators  would  answer  in  the  negative!  But 


INSTRUCTION  ng 

as  to  advanced  algebra,  solid  geometry,  and  trigonometry 
there  is  no  doubt  whatsoever.  To  constrain  students  in 
numbers  to  take  these  subjects  is  simply  unpardonable. 
They  have  long  since  been  dropped  from  the  high  school 
course  of  many  of  our  largest  cities  and  they  should  be 
eliminated  in  Maryland,  too.  The  curriculum  in  com- 
mon use  should  be  so  formulated  that  the  majority  of 
high  school  pupils  will  no  longer  be  forced  to  devote  to 
these  two  studies  from  two-fifths  to  a  half  of  their  entire 
school  time,  to  the  neglect  of  every  other  line  of  legiti- 
mate secondary  instruction. 

The  remainder  of  the  curriculum  need  not  detain  us 
long.  Something  like  one-half  of  the  school  day  is  avail- 
able for  all  other  subjects — English,  history,  civics, 
science,  etc.  The  instruction  in  English  is  extremely 
meagre,  consisting,  as  a  rule,  largely  of  grammar,  rhetoric, 
and  the  learning  of  unimportant  data  in  connection  with 
the  study  of  selected  pieces — a  futile  and  depressing 
expenditure  of  energy;  English  history  occupies  a  place  in 
the  first  year,  while  American  history  is  reviewed  in  the 
fourth;  the  study  of  civics  is  a  memory  grind  not  calcu- 
lated to  give  the  student  any  insight  into  community 
activities  and  needs,  or  to  develop  a  sense  of  civic  pride 
and  social  responsibility. 

The  instruction  in  science  is  also  unsatisfactory.  Out- 
side of  general  science  in  the  first  year,  little  is  ordinarily 
attempted,  only  the  stronger  schools  regularly  offering 
courses  in  biology,  physics,  and  chemistry.  Few  schools 
have  regular  science  teachers;  as  a  rule,  the  subject  is 


120       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

taught  by  teachers  whose  interest  lies  elsewhere.  Ac- 
cordingly, it  happens  that  classes  complete  the  work  in 
general  science  and  even  in  biology  without  making  an 
excursion  or  performing  an  experiment.  Even  in  labora- 
tory sciences  like  chemistry  and  physics  pupils  are  seldom 
required  to  keep  orderly  notebooks.  The  majority  of 
the  high  schools  lack  adequate  scientific  equipment;  the 
" laboratory"  may  be  set  up  in  a  hall  alcove  or  in  a  base- 
ment room.  Naturally  enough,  there  is  in  most  high 
schools  little  interest  in  science  on  the  part  of  either 
teachers  or  pupils. 

From  what  point  of  view  should  the  curricula  of  these 
schools  be  developed?  In  the  rural  sections  of  Mary- 
land the  centre  of  interest  is  in  farming,  stock-raising, 
fruit-growing,  dairying,  poultry-culture,  and  the  like. 
Through  these  and  kindred  activities  country  people 
make  their  living;  in  them  the  country  children  of  to- 
morrow will  find  employment.  A  country  high  school 
mustj  indeed — like  a  city  high  school — teach  literature, 
history,  and  civics.  But,  in  addition,  on  the  boy's  side, 
the  curriculum  should  stress  applied  science,  industry, 
and  agriculture;  while,  on  the  girl's  side,  it  should  em- 
phasize domestic  art  and  such  studies  as  equip  women  to 
become  intelligent  home  makers.  The  rural  high  school 
needs  little  commerce  with  ancient  languages  and  col- 
lege entrance  requirements.  The  mass  of  students  who 
do  not  go  to  conventional  colleges  must  not  be  sacrificed 
for  the  few  who  do. 

Again,  the  prosperity  of  the  small  city — and  all  of  the 


INSTRUCTION  121 

cities  of  Maryland,  with  one  exception,  are  small — de- 
pends upon  business  and  productive  industry.  The  on- 
coming generation  will,  for  the  most  part,  be  engaged  in 
retail  trade  and  in  manufacture.  Judging  from  what 
goes  on  in  most  of  the  city  high  schools,  one  would  infer 
that  their  students  are  all  going  to  college  with  the  ulti- 
mate expectation  of  leading  either  a  professional  life  or  a 
life  of  leisure.  There  is  scarcely  anything  in  the  instruc- 
tion to  suggest  that  the  home  town  offers  fields  of  activity 
worthy  of  ambitious  young  people.  The  small  city  high 
schools  must  perhaps  prepare  for  college,  but  their  pri- 
mary aim  should  be  to  give  young  people  an  education 
which,  while  contributing  to  personal  enjoyment  and  re- 
finement, prepares  at  the  same  time  for  the  conditions 
of  life  that  they  will  meet.  By  so  doing,  the  high  school 
will  do  most  for  ninety-five  out  of  every  hundred  stu- 
dents in  attendance. 

Fortunately,  a  beginning  in  the  right  direction  has  al- 
ready been  made.  A  few  of  the  first-group  high  schools 
and  something  less  than  one-half  the  second-group  high 
schools  pay  some  attention  to  agriculture  and  rural  life. 
Two  decidedly  successful  examples  of  this  endeavor  are 
the  rural  high  schools  already  mentioned  at  Sparks  and 
Baden.  The  remainder  of  the  second-group  schools,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  first-group,  still  continue  to  furnish 
country  children  with  a  cityfied  education  which  closes 
their  eyes  to  the  opportunities  of  country  life,  and  tends 
powerfully  to  drive  them  toward  the  towns. 

In  contrast,  the  efforts  of  the  state  in  the  direction  of 


122        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

commercial  courses  have  met  with  unusual  success .  There 
are  now  in  all  first-group  high  schools,  save  one,  and  in  1 7 
of  the  second-group,  business  departments  offering  two 
years  of  instruction  in  commercial  branches;  their  total 
enrolment  in  1914  was  692  pupils.  Two  factors  account 
for  this  development:  first,  the  desire  of  young  people  foi 
a  "useful"  education;  second,  the  desire  to  escape  the 
grind  of  Latin  and  mathematics.  For  these  commercial 
departments  there  is  a  legitimate  place  in  most  first- 
group  schools.  It  is,  however,  questionable  whether 
many  second-group  schools,  rural  as  they  are  in  their 
environment,  should  offer  elaborate  commercial  courses. 
Up  to  the  present  time  there  has  been  little  demand  for 
a  two-year  commercial  course  in  these  second-group 
schools,  most  of  the  commercial  departments  in  them 
being  maintained  at  relatively  heavy  expense  for  the 
accommodation  of  from  5  to  10  pupils.  In  the  second 
place,  commercial  training  once  more  turns  country-bred 
boys  and  girls  away  from  the  farm  to  become  job  seekers 
in  the  cities. 

There  is,  besides,  in  both  first-  and  second-group  high 
schools  a  marked  tendency  to  increase  out  of  all  propor- 
tions the  amount  of  work  demanded  in  the  commercial 
courses.  The  state  course  of  study  wisely  requires  com- 
mercial students  to  devote  a  fourth  to  a  half  of  their  time 
to  general  high  school  work.  But  in  a  number  of  both  first  - 
and  second-group  high  schools,  the  prescribed  hours  of 
instruction  in  the  commercial  branches  now  absorb  almost 
+he  entire  time  of  the  student,  to  the  neglect  of  studies 


INSTRUCTION  123 

which  contribute  to  general  intelligence  and  breadth  of 
view.  Owing  to  its  inadequate  staff,  the  State  Depart- 
ment of  Education  has  not  been  in"  position  to  know  in 
detail  what  the  high  schools  are  doing.  If  the  department 
is  reorganized,  it  will  be  enabled  to  keep  in  touch  with  the 
situation,  and  it  should  have  the  power  in  its  discretion 
to  disapprove  the  establishment  of  special  departments. 

In  the  distribution  of  state  aid  to  secondary  schools, 
consistent  encouragement  has  been  given  to  manual 
training  and  domestic  science.  As  a  result,  these 
branches  are  more  widely  taught  in  Maryland  than 
in  most  states.  While  there  is  still  much  to  be  de- 
sired, children  do  at  least  get  an  opportunity  to  acquire 
practical  information  and  to  gain  skill  in  the  making  of 
real  things;  moreover,  they  obtain  a  certain  amount  of 
relief  from  the  routine  of  conventional  academic  study. 

The  situation  in  the  four-year  state-aided  high  school 
is,  therefore,  not  altogether  unpromising.  Meanwhile, 
aside  from  the  regular  high  schools,  there  are  many  one-  or 
two-room  schools  that  attempt  one  or  more  years  of  high 
school  instruction.  Further,  a  few  schools  —  such,  for 
example,  as  that  of  Damascus,  Montgomery  County,  and 
some  old  academies  such  as  that  at  Vienna,  Dorchester 
County,1  specially  legislated  into  high  school  status, 


school  has  lately  come  under  the  control  of  the  County  Board 
of  Education;  but  when  the  transfer  was  made,  the  academy  trustees, 
while  obligating  the  County  Board  to  continue  the  so-called  high  school 
department,  retained  the  right  to  appoint  the  principal.  Though  ob- 
viously illegal,  this  arrangement  is  by  no  means  uncommon  even  in 
state-aided  high  schools  —  it  is  found,  for  example,  in  the  high  school 
of  Bel  Air,  Harford  County.  It  should  be  absolutely  prohibited. 


124       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

attempt  high  school  work  with  a  single  teacher.  The 
state  ought  to  realize  that  high  school  work  of  this  kind 
is  simply  counterfeit.  Only  through  school  consolida- 
tion and  the  transportation  of  pupils  can  genuine  high 
school  opportunities  be  brought  within  reach  of  all  the 
children  of  Maryland.  The  amount  of  instruction  that 
may  be  offered  in  one-,  two-,  and  three-room  schools  should 
therefore  be  strictly  limited,  and  the  State  Department  of 
Education  must  be  so  equipped  that  the  law  can  be  en- 
forced. 

A  single  paragraph  may  summarize  our  estimate  of 
teaching  in  the  public  schools  of  Maryland.  We  have 
found  the  State  Department  ineffective,  largely  because 
it  lacks  the  necessary  staff;  we  have  found  the  county 
organization  ineffective  because  of  politics,  the  absence 
of  trained  officials,  and  the  low  standards  of  teacher 
training.  How  could  teaching  be  generally  good  under 
these  conditions?  Maryland  gets  precisely  the  kind  and 
quality  of  teaching  which  our  previous  study  would 
lead  us  to  expect.  It  will  improve  teaching  when  it 
improves  the  conditions  responsible  for  it — not  before, 
and  in  no  other  way. 


IX.    FINANCE 


FOR  the  results  which  we  have  just  described,  what 
does  Maryland  pay?    The  education  furnished 
is  mostly  poor:  is  it  also  cheap?    Or  does  the 
state  pay  high  for  what  it  gets?    These  and  some  related 
questions  will  be  answered  in  the  course  of  the  present 
chapter. 

An  increasing  amount  of  money  is  being  annually 
raised  in  Maryland  for  public  education.  The  total 
amount  raised  in  the  entire  state,  including  the  city  of 
Baltimore^  was  in  1870  in  round  terms  a  million  dollars; 
in  1914,  five  millions.  (Fig.  17.)  These  amounts  cover 


FIG.  17 
INCREASE  IN  FUNDS  TR.OVWEP  F0£  THE  SCHOOLS 


*5.102.000 


4 

/ 

^ 

Z 

1 

18 

^ 

^ 

1,353.000 

__-—  

^ 

70                   1880                   1890                    1900                   1910     191 
I2S 

126        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

all  the  money  received  during  the  current  year,  irrespec- 
tive of  whether  it  went  into  new  buildings,  repairs,  teach- 
ers' salaries,  text-books,  or  school  supplies.1 

Does  this  mean  that  the  state  is  paying  more  per  in- 
dividual child?  In  1870  there  were  practically  300,000 
children  of  school  age2  in  the  state;  in  1910  there  were 
something  over  400,000;  the  exact  increase  was  41  per 
cent.  (Fig.  18.)  Hence,  while  school  population  has 
increased  41  per  cent.,  the  total  school  fund  has  in- 
creased 277  per  cent.  Per  child  of  school  age  (Fig.  19) 
the  amount  available  has  therefore  risen  from  $4.59  in 
1870  to  $12.26  in  1914,  an  increase  of  167  per  cent.3 

JIt  would  be  instructive  to  compare  the  financial  support  of  the  schools 
in  Maryland  with  that  of  other  states,  but  it  is  almost  impossible  to  se- 
cure reliable  data  for  such  comparisons.  Indeed  it  was  only  with  great 
difficulty  that  data  on  the  financial  support  of  the  schools  of  Maryland 
have  been  brought  together.  It  was  impossible  to  use  the  reported  ex- 
penditures as  found  in  the  annual  reports  of  the  State  Board  of  Education, 
because  these  include  payments  of  current  loans,  and  because  of  the 
differences,  especially  some  years  back,  between  the  reported  expenditures 
by  the  several  county  boards  and  their  receipts  as  reported  by  the  State 
Controller.  These  are  samples  of  the  difficulties  encountered  in  com- 
piling accurate  financial  data  for  Maryland.  Similar  revision  would 
have  to  be  made  of  the  published  reports  of  other  states,  if  comparisons 
are  to  be  trustworthy.  One  general  statement  may,  however,  be  made: 
Maryland  is  one  of  the  states  which  make  very  large  state  contribu- 
tions for  local  educational  purposes. 

2In  Chapter  VII  (Enrolment  and  Attendance)  we  used  as  a  basis 
children  between  6  and  18  years  of  age,  though  the  law  regards  all  persons 
between  5  and  20  as  of  school  age.  A  defect  in  the  Federal  Census  com- 
pels us  in  the  present  chapter  to  use  the  number  of  persons  between  5  and 
20  years  old  in  computing  per  capita  cost  and  expenditure.  The  incon- 
sistency is  not,  however,  of  any  practical  importance.  For  the  outcome 
of  this  chapter  would  not  be  different,  even  if  we  had  used  6  to  1 8  as 
the  basis  of  computation. 

'The  amount  available  declined  in  1880,  but  has  risen  steadily  ever 
since. 


FINANCE 

FIG.   1 8 
INCREASE  IN  SCHOOL  POPULATION  (CHILDREN  5-Zo) 


127 


1870 


1880 


1890 


1900 


1910        1914 


Meanwhile,  the  taxable  wealth  of  the  state  has  also  in- 
creased. Has  the  increased  liberality  of  the  state  simply 
kept  pace  with  its  increasing  wealth,  or  is  Maryland 
really  making  relatively  larger  sacrifices  for  public  educa- 
tion? 


'IT 


10' 


FIG.  19 

INCREASE  IN  SCHOOL  FUNP3  KAISED  PER  CHILD  OF  SCHOOL  AOL 


59 


1870 


iZ.i* 


1880 


1890 


1910     1914 


128       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 


The  taxable  wealth  of  the  state  rose  from  423  millions 
in  1870  to  a  billion  in  1914.  (Fig.  20.)  Back  of  each 
school  child  in  1870  there  was  taxable  property  valued  at 


FIG.    20 


10 
9 

a 

7 
6 
5 

4flW% 

^s* 

/ 

^^ 

4 

4J3.834.9ia        _ 

^^ 

4 
3 
Z 
1 

1870 


1880 


1890 


1900 


1910 


$1,440;  back  of  each  child  in  1914  there  was  taxable 
property  valued  at  $2,460.  (Fig.  21.)  Every  hundred 
dollars  of  taxable  property  contributed  thirty-two  cents 


FIG.    21 
BACK  CfF  TEACH  CHILD  [5-i 


2000 

1500 

1000 

500 


1870  1880  1890  1900  1910     1914 

to  education  in  1870;  every  hundred  dollars  of  taxable 
property     contributed    fifty    cents    to    education    in 


FINANCE 


129 


1914.  (Fig.  22.)  There  are,  then,  more  children  to  be 
educated  in  Maryland  than  there  were;  there  is  more 
wealth  to  be  drawn  upon;  and  every  dollar  of  wealth 
pays  almost  twice  as  much  as  it  paid  in  1870. 

Education  is,  however,  not  merely  a  question  of  how 
much  is  spent;  much  depends  on  the  different  purposes 
served  by  a  given  expenditure.  Fully  to  understand  the 


FIG.    22 
WCKEA&  IN  TAX' LEVY-EQUIVALENT  FOR  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 


40 
30 
20 
10 


497 


9   ,1970  1880  1890  1900  19101914 

public  school  system  of  Maryland  during  the  period  we 
are  considering,  that  is,  from  1870  to  1914,  we  ought  to 
know  the  amount  of  money  devoted  to  each  of  several 
important  items — to  erecting  new  buildings,  to  repairing 
old  ones,  to  maintaining  the  plant,  to  administration, 
supervision,  teachers'  salaries,  text-books,  supplies,  etc. 
A  proper  system  of  school  accounting  would  supply  such 
information;  unfortunately,  the  older  systems,  among 
them  the  system  still  employed  in  Maryland,  do  not. 
For  this  reason,  one  of  the  improvements  needed  in  the 
State  Department  is  the  introduction  of  an  up-to-date 


130        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

system  of  school  accounts.  In  lieu,  therefore,  of  detailed 
knowledge  which  would  enable  us  to  make  a  critical  and 
comparative  study  of  expenditure  and  results,  we  must 
content  ourselves  with  the  consideration  and  comparison 
of  total  amounts  spent  from  year  to  year. 

We  have  thus  far  spoken  in  terms  of  the  entire  school 
population;  i.  e.,  all  persons  between  5  and  20  years  of  age. 
It  is,  of  course,  obvious  that  this  means  the  nominal 
rather  than  the  actual  school  population,  for  children 
below  6  or  above  18  should  be  practically  eliminated  from 
consideration.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  in  1870,  only  38 
children  out  of  each  100  between  5  and  20  years  of  age 
attended  school,  and  in  1914  only  59.  (Fig.  23.)  Our 

FIG.    2.1 
OF  THE  SCHOOL  POPULATION  ENROLLED  IN  .SCHOOZ 


50 
40 


10 


38.11* 


58.9 1. 


18?0 


1880 


1890 


1900 


1910 


computation  of  per  capita  expenditure  on  the  basis  of  the 
legal  school  population,  therefore,  throws  little  light  on 
the  actual  per  capita  expenditure;  for  the  expenditure  on 
each  child  of  legal  school  age  who  really  attends  school  is 


FINANCE 


much  larger  than  the  amount  of  money  raised  per  child 
of  the  school  population.  We  saw  a  moment  ago  that 
the  amount  raised  per  child  of  school  population  in  1870 
was  $4.59;  the  amount  really  expended  per  pupil  enrolled 
in  that  year  was  $12.06.  (Fig.  24.)  The  amount  raised 
per  pupil  of  school  age  in  1914  was  $12.26;  the  amount 


FIG.    24. 
TOTAL  EXPENDITURE  PER  PUPIL  ENROLLED 


24' 


20' 


16' 


12" 


12' 


20.80 


1870- 


'  1880 


1890 


1900 


1910     1914 


really  spent  for  each  pupil  in  1914  was  $20.80.     That  is, 
between  1870  and  1914  the  actual  expenditure  for  each 
pupil  in  school  attendance  increased  from  $12.06  to  $20.80 
— an  increase  of  72  per  cent.1 
So  far,  then,  taking  the  state  as  a  whole,  it  is  only  fair 

figure  24  shows  a  drop  between  1870  and  1890.  This  decrease  was 
due  to  the  relatively  small  increase  during  these  three  decades  in  the 
total  amount  raised  for  the  schools  (Fig.  17),  to  the  relatively  rapid 
increase,  during  the  same  period,  in  the  school  population  (Fig.  18),  and 
to  the  increase  in  the  proportion  of  the  school  population  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  opportunities  afforded  by  the  schools  (Fig.  23).  The  rapid 
increase  in  per-pupil  expenditure  since  1890,  the  amount  almost  doubling, 
is  due  more  especially  to  the  increased  funds  provided  for  the  support  of 
the  schools. 


132        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

to  say  that  Maryland,  as  a  state,  has,  since  1870,  not  only 
provided  a  larger  total  sum  for  public  education,  but  that 
it  has  provided  a  larger  sum  per  pupil.  The  state  had 
thus  a  better  right  to  expect  good  schools  in  1914  with 
a  per-pupil  expenditure  of  $20.80  than  in  1890  with  a 
per-pupil  cost  of  $9.08,  or  in  1870  with  a  per-pupil  cost 
of  $12.06.  Can  the  same  be  said  of  the  counties,  taken 
separately? 

The  wealth  of  Maryland  is  unequally  distributed. 
The  increase  in  school  funds  has  not,  therefore,  been 
entirely  uniform.  Between  1890  and  1900  (Fig.  25)  the 


«30 


ZQ 


10 


FIG.  25 
INCREASE  IN  FEK.  PUPIL  EXPENDITU&  BY  COUNTIES 


feaai 


wv^; 

«£ 


4.92 


?l§3c33c3 


FINANCE  133 

increase  in  expenditure  per  pupil  enrolled  was  nowhere 
considerable;  in  Calvert,  Charles,  and  St.  Mary's  counties 
there  was  a  decline.  From  1900  to  1914,  however,  every 
county  in  the  state,  without  exception,  increased  its  per 
capita  expenditures,  some  of  them  very  largely.  The 
lowest  percentage  of  increase — that  of  Charles  County — 
was  about  50  per  cent. ;  the  highest  Dorchester  County, 
1 60  per  cent.  Of  the  23  counties  of  the  state,  13  more 
than  doubled  their  per-pupil  outlay  between  1900  and 
1914, l  with  the  result  that  existing  disparities  were  still 
further  emphasized.  Thus,  in  1890,  with  per-pupil  ex- 
penditure varying  in  the  counties  from  $4.92  to  $11.97, 
there  was  less  disparity  in  respect  to  educational  ad- 
vantages than  in  1914,  when  $9.17  was  spent  upon  each 
pupil  in  Charles  County  and  $28.81  upon  each  pupil  in 
Baltimore  County.  (Fig.  25.)  These  enormous  differ- 
ences are,  of  course,  pregnant  with  consequences  to  the 
individual  child. 

As  we  have  seen,  public  education  in  Maryland,  as  in 
other  states,  is  paid  for  by  both  state  and  county.  From 
1870  up  to  the  present  time  the  counties  of  Maryland  and 
the  city  of  Baltimore  have  raised  annually  about  66  per 
cent,  of  the  money  expended  for  education;  the  state  has 
contributed  about  33  per  cent.  (Fig.  26.)  While  the 
relative  proportion  of  all  school  expenditures  borne  by  the 
state  has  not  materially  changed,  the  total  amount  dis- 
tributed to  the  counties  has  risen  from  $458,000  in  1870  to 

^llegany,  Baltimore,  Caroline,  Carroll,  Cecil,  Dorchester,  Frederick, 
Garrett,  Montgomery,  Queen  Anne,  Somerset,  Wicomico,  and  Worcester. 


134        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 


loot 


FIG.    26 
PXOPOI&ION  OF  SCHOOL  EXPENDITURES 


THE  STATE 


50 
40 
30 

zo 

10 


1870 


1880 


1890 


1900 


32.6  i 


1910     1914 


$1,675,000  in  1914,  representing  an  increase  both  in  the 
amount  provided  by  the  state  per  child  of  the  school  popu- 
lation and  per  pupil  of  the  school  enrolment.  (Fig.  27.) 
The  funds  distributed  by  the  state  are  derived  from 
several  sources.  Far  the  largest  factor  is  the  state  school 
tax,  which,  ranging  from  10  cents  on  each  $100  in  1870 
to  17  cents  in  1915,  is  levied  against  all  the  taxable  prop- 

FIG.    27 
AMOUNT CfPER-PUPtL  EXPENDITURE  CONTRIBUTED  BY  THE  STATS 


1870 


1880 


1890 


1900 


1910     1914 


PEK.  PUPIL  EN90LLED 

PEg,  CHILD  OF  SCHOOL  POPULATION 


FINANCE  135 

erty  of  the  state  and  produced,  in  1914,  $1,654,000.  Out 
of  this  fund  are  paid  in  the  first  instance  the  expenses  of 
the  State  Department  of  Education,  the  maintenance  of 
the  three  State  Normal  Schools,  Teachers'  Retirement 
allowances,1  the  income  on  the  Surplus  Revenue  Fund, 
the  special  aid  to  high  schools  and  colored  industrial 
schools,  and  the  Free  Text-book  Fund.  After  meeting 
these  charges,  there  remained  in  1914  $1,305,000  which 
was  divided  between  the  counties  and  the  city  of  Balti- 
more on  the  basis  of  the  population  between  5  and  20 
years  of  age. 

Almost  every  state  in  the  Union  has  at  one  time  or 
another  apportioned  its  general  school  fund  on  the  basis 
of  school  population,  as  Maryland  still  does.  But  the 
method  is  in  process  of  abandonment  throughout  the 
country,  and  for  obvious  reasons.  Education  is,  we  have 
said,  a  state  function.  The  state  supports  it  liberally 
because  the  state  desires  that  all  children  should  enjoy 
substantial  educational  advantages.  If  the  matter  were 
left  to  counties  and  districts,  the  disparities  in  educa- 

Provision  was  made,  in  1902,  for  a  straight-put  annual  pension  of 
$200  to  be  paid  all  teachers,  irrespective  of  financial  ability,  who,  having 
reached  the  age  of  sixty,  had  taught  in  the  schools  of  the  state  twenty-five 
years,  and  were  disqualified  for  further  service.  Within  three  years  it 
became  evident  that  the  financial  burden  involved  was  more  than  the 
state  could  afford.  The  law  was  accordingly  amended  to  provide  that 
pensions  should  be  paid  to  those  only  who  were  "without  other  means  of 
comfortable  support."  On  this  basis,  the  sum  required  increased  to 
$38,000  in  1914,  the  total  number  of  teachers  drawing  pensions  being  161. 
The  law  has  been  administered  with  great  care,  but  the  entire  question 
of  teachers'  pensions  needs  to  be  re-studied.  The  present  provision, 
while  relieving  certain  individuals,  cannot  be  regarded  as  a  final  solution. 
There  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  no  non-contributory  pension  system 
on  a  large  scale  is  either  wise  or  feasible. 


136       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

tional  opportunity  would  be  intolerable.  The  state's 
contribution  must  therefore  be  employed  to  equalize 
conditions.  Do  what  the  commonwealth  will,  this 
highly  desirable  object  cannot  be  fully  attained;  that  is, 
however,  only  the  stronger  reason  for  doing  the  best 
possible. 

Apportionment  on  the  basis  of  population  aggravates 
inequalities  instead  of  mitigating  them.  Certain  coun- 
ties are  able  to  provide  good  schools  quite  apart  from  state 
aid.  Unquestionably,  they  should  not  for  that  reason  be 
altogether  passed  over;  but  they  cannot  fairly  complain 
if  the  adoption  of  a  more  intelligent  basis  of  distribution 
somewhat  reduces  their  share.  Again,  the  rural  counties 
being  more  thinly  settled,  a  single  teacher  instructs 
fewer  children  in  the  country  than  in  the  city.  The 
cost  of  instruction  is  therefore  higher  in  the  rural  districts; 
apportionment  on  the  basis  of  school  population  alone  is 
therefore  unfair  to  those  sections  that  are  most  in  need  of 
help.  Finally,  the  Federal  Census  on  the  basis  of  which 
the  apportionment  is  made  is  actually  correct  only  for  the 
year  in  which  it  is  taken;  a  considerable  error  may  occur 
during  all  the  other  years  of  the  decade.  For  example, 
according  to  the  Federal  Census,  Baltimore  County 
had,  in  1910,  39,306  children  between  the  ages  of  5  and 
20;  the  distribution  of  the  state  school  tax  was,  however, 
made  in  1910  on  the  basis  of  her  having  26,290  children, 
meaning  a  loss  to  the  county  in  a  single  year  of  approxi- 
mately $24,000.  Contrariwise,  while  the  census  of  1910 
gave  Queen  Anne  5,924  children  between  5  and  20,  the 


FINANCE  137 

county  was  credited  in  the  division  of  the  state  school  tax 
in  that  year  with  6,068  children,  thereby  receiving  from 
the  state  $3,500  more  than  the  actual  number  of  children 
at  the  time  entitled  her  to.  Such  inequalities  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  state  school  tax  are  unavoidable  so  long 
as  the  Federal  Census  is  relied  upon  to  provide  the  basis 
of  distribution. 

The  counties  need  funds  mainly  to  pay  the  salaries 
of  the  teachers;  a  "fair"  distribution  would  there- 
fore tend  to  make  it  equally  feasible  for  all  counties 
to  employ  at  decent  salaries  the  number  of  teachers 
really  required.  That  is,  if  distribution  on  the  basis  of 
school  population  worked  equitably,  the  counties  would 
receive  approximately  equal  amounts  per  teacher.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  amounts  received  per  teacher  vary  from 
$277  in  Baltimore  City  to  $147  per  teacher  in  Cecil  County. 
No  two  counties  receive  the  same  sum.  (Fig.  28.)  Dis- 
tribution on  the  basis  of  school  population  is  therefore 
distinctly  unfair.  A  more  equitable  basis  is  sorely 
needed. 

A  second  fund,  known  as  the  Common  Free  School 
Fund,  is  composed  of  three  items.  The  first  item  con- 
sisted of  an  investment  of  $278,000  derived  from  taxes 
upon  state  bank  stock,  collected  in  the  first  instance  in 
1816,  and  yielding  in  1914  an  income  of  $6,000.  The 
original  intention  was  to  distribute  annually  to  the  coun- 
ties in  equal  shares  the  entire  amount  of  taxes  collected. 
It,  however,  so  happened  that  for  years  certain  counties 
had  no  schools  upon  which  they  could  properly  spend 


I38        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

their  money.  Their  unexpended  share  was  accordingly 
left  with  the  State  Treasurer  and  held  for  them  as  a 
permanent  investment.  The  amounts  now  so  held  vary 
from  $21,460  in  the  name  of  Frederick  County,  to  $4,300 
for  St.  Mary's.  Baltimore  City,  Allegany,  Charles,  Cal- 

FIG.   28 
AMOUNT  KECZIVZD  PER.  TEACHES,  .FRptT  STATE   SCHOOL  TAX 


vert,  and  Garrett  counties  do  not  now  participate  in  this 
fund,  they  having  used  in  times  long  past  their  full  share 
in  the  current  support  of  their  schools.  Hence,  while 
the  other  counties  now  receive  from  this  fund  annually 
from  $150  to  $750,  nothing  at  all  is  received  by  these 
four  counties  and  the  city  of  Baltimore. 


FINANCE  139 

The  second  item  of  the  Common  Free  School  Fund 
consisted  of  $229,000,  having  as  its  origin  $169,000  re- 
turned by  the  United  States  Government  in  1858  to 
Maryland  as  interest  on  money  advanced  by  her  to  the 
National  Government  during  the  War  of  1812.  The 
income,  amounting  to  $10,400  in  1914,  is  distributed 
annually  to  the  counties  on  the  basis  of  their  representa- 
tion in  the  General  Assembly.  From  the  educational 
standpoint,  this  basis  of  distribution  is  arbitrary.  For 
example,  Calvert  County  in  1914  had  three  representa- 
tives with  4,119  children  between  5  and  20,  whereas 
Queen  Anne,  with  the  same  number  of  representatives, 
had  5,924,  or  almost  a  third  more  children  to  provide  for. 
The  apportionment  of  school  funds  upon  the  basis  of  the 
number  of  representatives  in  the  General  Assembly  thus 
disregards  the  main  purpose  of  a  state  school  fund,  viz., 
the  equalization  of  school  advantages,  since  it  takes  no 
account  of  the  number  of  children  to  be  educated  or  of  the 
disparity  between  the  several  counties  in  respect  to  their 
financial  ability  to  support  schools. 

The  final  item  of  the  Common  Free  Fund  is  known  as 
the  Surplus  Revenue  Fund.  It  is  the  part  of  the  surplus 
revenue,  distributed  in  1837  by  the  United  States,  and  in 
Maryland  set  apart  for  the  benefit  of  the  schools.  Un- 
fortunately, as  in  so  many  other  states,  the  original 
amount  was  spent;  the  state,  however,  obligated  itself 
to  provide  an  annual  income  equal  to  5  per  cent,  interest. 
Until  1910  this  income  amounting  to  $34,069  was  de- 
rived from  indirect  taxes  and  paid  from  the  General 


i4o       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

Treasury;  since  then  it  has  been  deducted  from  the  money 
raised  from  the  state  school  tax,  and  for  this  reason,  the 
Surplus  Revenue  Fund  may  be  said  to  be  virtually  lost 
to  the  schools. 

A  somewhat  complicated  plan  was  devised  for  the  dis- 
tribution of  this  income.  In  the  first  place,  the  sum  of 
$2,000  was  set  aside  for  the  indigent  blind.  The  re- 
mainder was  then -divided  into  two  equal  parts,  one  part 
being  distributed  to  the  counties  and  Baltimore  City  on 
the  basis  of  white  population,  the  other  divided  equally 
among  the  counties  and  the  city  of  Baltimore.  Once 
more  sound  principles  are  ignored.  Of  the  two  methods 
of  distribution  employed,  the  former  is  unfair  to  counties 
with  a  large  colored  population,  the  latter  does  nothing 
to  equalize  educational  facilities. 

Next  in  importance  is  the  so-called  "Academic"  Fund, 
not,  as  its  name  would  appear  to  indicate,  a  productive 
investment,  but  merely  a  regular  annual  appropriation 
made  from  the  General  Treasury  for  the  encouragement 
of  secondary  education.  These  appropriations  began  in 
1798  when  donations  were  first  made  to  'quasi-private 
county  academies;  by  1831  itjiad  become  tlie  fixed  policy 
of  the  state  to  appropriate  $1,200  a  year  to  each  county, 
irrespective  of  size  and  needs.  Where  county  academies 
independent  of  the  public  school  authorities  were  main- 
tained, the  appropriation  went  to  the  trustees  of  these 
academies;  if  there  were  more  than  one,  the  appropriation 
was  divided.  If  there  was  no  academy  'with  its  separate 
board  of  trustees,  the  appropriation  went  to  the  public 


FINANCE  141 

school  authorities.  In  1914  $26,150  was  distributed  by 
the  state  in  this  way. 

In  the  distribution  of  the  academic  fund  every  princi- 
ple of  sound  educational  finance  is  violated.  Originally 
— at  least  subsequently  to  1831 — the  counties  were  to 
share  alike,  itself  an  unsound  method  of  procedure. 
Somewhat  later  an  unequal  distribution  was  brought 
about;  but  the  inequalities  were  not  dictated  or  suggested 
by  sound  principle.  Wicomico,  for  example,  with  an 
enrolment  of  5,888,  received,  in  1914,  $2,400,  whereas 
Carroll,  with  an  enrolment  of  6,697,  secured  only  $200. 
But  such  inequalities  are,  after  all,  preferable  to  outright 
abuse  as  evidenced  in  the  following  examples: 

Washington  Academy,  located  in  Somerset  County, 
some  three  miles  from  Princess  Anne,  was  erected  by 
private  subscription  in  1777.  From  1798  until  the  pres- 
ent time  an  annual  donation  has  been  made  from  the 
''Academic  Fund"  to  the  trustees  of  this  school,  varying 
from  $600  to  $8op.  For  three-quarters  of  a  century 
Washington  Academy  was  the  centre  of  higher  education 
in  Somerset,  but  the  doors  of  the  building  were  closed 
about  1864  and  never  again  opened  for  educational  pur- 
poses. For  a  half  century  thereafter  bats  found  a  friendly 
shelter  in  the  attic  and  vagrants  in  its  lower  rooms. 
Still,  during  the  entire  half  century  of  its  non-existence, 
the  Trustees  of  Washington  Academy  received  the  annual 
appropriation  from  the  state,  the  accumulated  amount 
of  which,  or  as  much  of  it  as  was  recovered,  including 
the  interest,  amounted  by  1904  to  over  $12,000.  With 


142        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

$12,000  in  hand  the  academy  trustees  erected  in  1904  in 
Princess  Anne,  upon  a  lot  purchased  with  state  funds 
in  1844,  a  modern  school  building.  The  building  was 
deeded  to  the  County  School  Board,  but  the  lot  is  held 
by  the  academy  trustees,  and  this  building  is  to-day  the 
public  school  of  Princess  Anne.  Thus  from  funds  do- 
nated by  the  state  for  the  encouragement  of  secondary 
education,  but  which  were  not  so  currently  used  and  hence 
should  have  been  cut  off,  a  public  school  building  is 
erected  and  presented  to  Princess  Anne.  Moreover,  by 
reason  of  the  fact  that  this  appropriation  is  still  made  to 
the  Trustees  of  Washington  Academy  and  applied  to  the 
maintenance  of  the  present  school,  the  state  is  making, 
through  indirection,  an  annual  present  of  $600  to  Princess 
Anne. 

An  even  more  flagrant  abuse  of  state  funds  is  to  be 
found  in  connection  with  Patapsco  Academy,  Shipley 
Station,  Anne  Arundel  County.  This  institution,  es- 
tablished in  1837,  had  dwindled  by  1908  to  the  pro- 
portions of  a  one-room  school.  Though  the  building  and 
the  grounds  occupied  for  more  than  twenty  years  were 
the  property  of  an  individual,  and  the  board  of  trustees 
had  disappeared  altogether,  this  insignificant  private 
school  continued  to  receive  $4.00  a  year  from  the  treasury 
of  the  state  of  Maryland.  In  1908  conditions  seemed 
favorable  to  the  abandonment  of  this  "Academy"  and 
to  erection  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  much-needed  public 
school  supported  and  controlled  by  the  County  Board  of 
Education.  Such  was  not  to  be.  A  bill  passed  the 


FINANCE  143 

General  Assembly  confiding  the  future  of  the  "Academy" 
to  a  committee  named  in  the  law.  An  appropriation  of 
$1,200  was  provided  to  purchase  in  the  name  of  the  state 
the  ancient  home  of  the  Academy,  and  in  1910  an  addi- 
tional $500  was  supplied  from  the  General  Treasury  for 
repairs  and  improvements.  Two  hundred  fifty  dollars 
for  each  of  the  years  1910  and  1911  were  added  to  provide 
"  courses  of  lectures  on  agriculture  and  its  kindred  sub- 
jects and  for  hall  rent  and  other  expenses."  Thus  an 
academy  at  best  conducted  for  years  as  a  private  day 
school,  and  having  in  1914  a  total  enrolment  of  39  pupils 
with  none  above  the  fifth  grade,  was  rehabilitated  at 
state  expense  to  serve  as  a  private  school. 

Other  instances  of  abuse  may  be  readily  cited.  Eight 
hundred  dollars  are  annually  paid  by  the  state  of  Mary- 
land to  Frederick  County  College,  which  is  no  longer  in 
existence,  the  buildings  being  rented  to  Hood  College. 
At  Cumberland  and  at  Rockville  similar  appropriations 
are  used  to  bolster  up  obsolete  institutions,  in  immediate 
proximity  to  high  schools  of  the  first  rank  capable  of 
taking  better  care  of  all  the  academy  students  without 
additional  cost;  at  Vienna,  Bel  Air,  Millington,  etc., 
money  from  the  Academic  Fund  is  employed  to  bring 
about  private  control  of  public  high  schools.  It  is  unnec- 
essary to  go  further.  The  Academic  Fund  is  in  many 
instances  wasted  or  worse  than  wasted.  When  the 
school  finances  of  the  state  are  reorganized,  this  money 
can  be  put  to  far  more  productive  use. 

There  remain  to  be  considered  certain  special  appro- 


144       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

priations  made  by  the  General  Assembly  for  the  benefit 
of  local  schools.  Regardless  of  the  amount  of  money 
involved  in  these  special  appropriations,  the  principle — 
or  lack  of  principle — makes  them  highly  significant. 
Laws  carrying  special  appropriations  were  passed,  for 
example,  in  behalf  of  the  Anne  Arundel  County  Academy 
in  1900,  of  Greensboro,  Caroline  County,  in  1904,  of 
Federalsburg,  Caroline  County,  and  of  Aberdeen  in  Har- 
ford  County  in  1906,  of  Patapsco  Academy,  Anne  Arun- 
del County,  in  1908. 

There  is  no  justification  for  the  bestowal  by  the  legis- 
lature of  school  favors.  State  educational  funds  should 
be  and  can  be  distributed  on  the  basis  of  principle; 
capricious  departures  from  the  rules,  whatever  they  be, 
tend  to  log-rolling  and  other  forms  of  demoralization. 

Garret t  County  is  a  case  in  point.  In  1902  a  special 
annual  appropriation  of  $4,000  was  deducted  from  the 
State  School  Fund  for  the  benefit  of  Garrett  County  on 
the  ground  that  the  resources  of  the  county  were  not 
sufficient  to  enable  her  to  keep  her  schools  open  the 
minimum  term  of  seven  and  one-half  months  required 
by  law  at  that  time.  When  first  granted  the  appropria- 
tion was  endorsed  by  the  State  Board  of  Education;  but 
in  the  meantime  Garrett  has  grown  in  wealth,  so  that  it 
stands  to-day  the  fourteenth  county  of  the  state  in  the 
amount  of  wealth  back  of  each  child  of  the  school  popula- 
tion. At  least  eight  counties  are  its  inferiors  in  this  respect. 
Nevertheless,  the  county  continues  to  receive  this  special 
appropriation.  To  tell  the  truth,  the  county  has  been 


FINANCE  143 

injured  by  this  special  favor,  for  it  has  been  successively 
exempted  from  most  of  the  progressive  school  legislation 
of  recent  years:  the  compulsory  school  attendance  law, 
the  minimum  salary  law,  the  nine  months'  school  term, 
and  the  like. 

Garrett  County  is,  however,  not  the  only  recipient  of 
such  appropriations.  Five  thousand  dollars  were  appro- 
priated in  1912  to  buy  land  for  the  Ridgley  Agricultural 
High  School  of  Caroline  County,  and  a  like  sum  was  con- 
tributed from  the  State  Treasury  toward  the  erection  of 
a  public  school  building  at  Federalsburg.  The  same 
General  Assembly  gave  Caroline,  Queen  Anne,  and  Tal- 
bot  counties,  together,  $4,000  to  be  used  in  building  what 
is  known  as  the  Tri-County  High  School.  Talbot  County 
again  in  1914  received  $7,500,  in  part  payment  of  the  cost 
of  erecting  a  school  building  at  Sudlersville. 

All  such  special  appropriations  must  be  strongly  con- 
demned. The  case  is  not  helped  by  the  pretext  that 
the  schools  were  to  do  special  work  in  agriculture,  for  the 
state,  as  is  well  known,  already  gives  a  bonus  for  the 
teaching  of  agriculture  in  high  schools;  the  schools  spe- 
cially favored  never  contemplated  more  than  is  being  done 
in  the  Boys'  High  School  at  Frederick,  the  Baden  Agri- 
cultural High  School  of  Prince  George  County,  and  the 
Sparks  Agricultural  High  School  of  Baltimore  County — 
schools  built  and  supported  entirely  at  county  expense. 
The  fact  is  that  the  counties  wanted  schools  which 
could  not  be  provided  at  local  expense  without  consid- 
erable sacrifice.  Special  appropriations  had  already 


i46        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

been  made  for  other  localities.  Why  not  for  these? 
Political  conditions  were  especially  favorable;  the  local 
political  leaders  were  enlisted  in  the  enterprise,  and  the 
result  is  a  matter  of  history. 

The  general  question  of  state  aid  to  local  schools  must 
be  surveyed  from  another  angle.  Let  us  assume  that 
"favors"  are  discontinued;  upon  what  terms  should  the 
state  government  render  its  assistance?  Two  general 
policies  are  in  common  use.  Under  the  one,  the  state 
insists  that  local  authorities,  before  they  receive  their 
full  apportionment,  comply  with  certain  state  require- 
ments with  respect  to  the  conduct  and  management  of 
the  schools.  Under  the  second,  the  state  makes  its 
contributions  without  imposing  any  particular  conditions. 
Maryland  occupies  a  middle  ground. 

The  bulk  of  the  funds  distributed  by  the  state  of 
Maryland  to  the  several  counties,  and  especially  of  those 
raised  by  direct  taxation,  is  intended  for  the  support  of 
the  elementary  schools.  To  receive  their  full  apportion- 
ment, local  authorities  are  required  to  keep  the  schools 
open  at  least  nine  months  during  the  calendar  year,  and  to 
pay  white  teachers  at  least  three  hundred  dollars  a  year.1 

JIt  follows  that  the  minimum  school  year  is  nine  months.  Nine  coun- 
ties have  a  school  year  of  ten  months:  Baltimore,  Calvert,  Caroline, 
Carroll,  Harford,  Howard,  Kent,  Queen  Anne's,  and  Talbot.  However, 
the  colored  schools  do  not  continue  so  long  nor  is  the  term  so  uniform. 
They  are  open  ten  months  in  Baltimore,  Harford,  and  Kent;  nine  months 
in  Allegany,  Carroll,  Cecil,  and  Washington;  seven  to  eight  months  in 
Calvert,  Charles,  Frederick,  Garrett,  Montgomery,  Prince  George,  and 
Queen  Anne;  six  to  seven  months  in  Caroline,  Howard,  Talbot,  and 
Worcester;  five  to  six  months  in  Dorchester,  St.  Mary's,  Somerset,  and 
Wicomico,  and  only  four  months  in  Anne  Arundel. 


FINANCE  147 

Besides,  the  money  provided  for  free  text-books  and  sup- 
plies must  be  employed  exclusively  for  these  purposes. 
There  are  no  other  limitations;  the  state  makes  no  stipu- 
lation as  to  the  kind  of  superintendent  that  shall  be  em- 
ployed, or  his  salary,  or  the  quality  and  the  amount  of 
supervision  that  shall  be  provided,  or  the  kind  of  school- 
houses  that  shall  be  built.  Nor  is  there  any  requirement 
imposed  upon  the  counties  with  respect  to  the  amount  of 
money  that  shall  be  raised  locally  to  secure  the  entire 
state  apportionment. 

The  state  follows  a  different  policy  in  allotting  funds 
to  the  high  schools.  Specific  conditions  must  be  met  if 
the  local  authorities  are  to  receive  the  full  aid  of  the 
state:  a  certain  number  of  children  must  be  in  attendance, 
a  given  number  of  teachers  must  be  employed,  specified 
salaries  paid,  and  courses  of  study  of  a  given  length 
and  character  offered.  Under  the  stimulus  of  these 
requirements  and  the  financial  assistance  conditioned 
on  complying  with  them,  the  high  schools  made  more 
progress  within  the  last  five  years  than  during  the 
two  preceding  decades.  Counties  must  also  meet  certain 
requirements  in  order  to  secure  the  special  assistance 
offered  by  the  state  in  support  of  colored  industrial 
schools. 

Maryland  is  therefore  not  passive  in  the  distribution 
of  funds  for  the  support  of  local  schools,  but  she  is  by  no 
means  as  active  as  some  other  states  or  as  she  herself 
might  well  be.  The  very  purpose  of  levying  and  dis- 
tributing a  school  tax  is  defeated  unless  its  expenditure 


148        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

is  wisely  and  efficiently  directed.  It  becomes  the  state, 
therefore,  to  insist  upon  two  points:  that  every  locality 
should  put  forth  proper  effort  in  its  own  behalf;  and 
that  all  school  funds  should  be  spent  under  effective 
supervision.  Maryland  has  not  done  this  in  the  past;  she 
is  not  doing  it  now.  Thousands  upon  thousands  of  dol- 
lars have  been  poured  into  some  of  the  poorer  counties 
without  yielding  a  fair  educational  return.  This  waste 
will  continue  until  the  state  takes  full  advantage  of  the 
opportunity  afforded  by  the  state  subsidy  to  bring  about 
better  local  support  and  administration.  A  new  era  of 
progress  will  open,  especially  to  the  elementary  schools, 
when  the  state  lays  down  specific  requirements  with 
respect  to  the  amount  of  taxes  to  be  raised  locally,  the 
kind  of  schoolhouses  to  be  erected,  the  preparation  of 
the  teachers  to  be  employed,  and  the  qualifications  of  the 
superintendent  and  the  supervisors  to  be  engaged,  as 
pre-conditions  to  receiving  state  aid,  and  when,  further, 
the  state  so  organizes  the  State  Department  that  proper 
guarantees  can  be  exacted. 

In  various  ways  now  described  the  state  of  Maryland 
contributed  in  1914  $1,675,201  to  public  education; 
meanwhile  the  total  sum  spent  was  $5,102,448.  The 
difference — that  is,  $3,427,247 — was  raised  by  the  coun- 
ties and  the  city  of  Baltimore  by  taxes  levied  on  all  prop- 
erty. The  amount  thus  raised  has  everywhere  increased, 
in  some  counties  remarkably.  While  the  increase  in 
Talbot  County  between  1900  and  1914  was  only  6.7  per 
cent.,  there  was  an  increase  of  over  100  per  cent,  in  seven- 


FINANCE  149 

teen  counties,  and  in  Somerset  the  rise  was  as  much  as 
470  per  cent.     (Fig.  29.) 

These  increases  mean  larger,  even  if  not  everywhere 
wholly  adequate,  expenditure  in  behalf  of  the  individual 
child.  (Fig.  30.)  Somerset  County  produced  in  1890 
31  cents  per  child,  of  the  school  population  (5-20)  in 
1914,  $2.57;  St.  Mary's  contributed  37  cents  in  1890  and 

FIG.    29 
PERCENT  OF  INCREASE  IN  THE  COUNTY  TAXE5  19OO-1914 


100 


o> 
I 


• 
i       ii         i  ji 

312353(30513  II  111.1^  I  ?III2 

$1.87  in  1914;  while  the  amount  raised  locally  in  Balti- 
more County  rose  from  $3.24  to  $12.55  in  the  same  period. 
(Fig-  3i-) 

The  sums  just  mentioned  as  raised  by  county  taxation 
form  a  widely  varying  part  of  the  total  expenditure  on 
each  child.  In  Charles  County,  for  example,  the  total 


150       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 


FIG.   30 
INCREASE  Ot  AMOUNT  1&ISED  F£OZf  COUNTY  TAXES 


FIG.  31 

AMOUNT  AVAILABLE  PER.  CHILD  (5-ZO  )  W1914  PA&  CQNTIVBUTED  fff 
THE  STATE  AND  BY   THE  COUNTY 


10 


liil     lil!|J|fj 
l  Jill  Illasl  til  II 


FINANCE  151 

expenditure  per  child  of  the  school  population  (5-20)  in 
1914  was  $5.34;  of  this  the  state  contributed  $3.90;  the 
county  $1.44,  or  27  per  cent.  Calvert  spent  per  child 
$5.87,  but  only  $1.85  or  31  per  cent,  was  county  money. 
In  contrast,  there  was  available  in  Baltimore  County 
$16.45,  °f  which  county  taxes  produced  $12.55  or  ?6  per 
cent.  (Fig.  32.) 

FIG.   32 
PER.CENT  OF  TOTAL  AMOUNT  AVAILABLE  PER  CHlLPfr-Zo)  RAISED  BY  THE  COUNTIES 


tool 

60 
GO 

40 

to 


751. 


0 

S 


miiiilliilliliHIiiiii 

IIiallSslllillllfiiMlll 

These  differences  are  only  partly  due  to  the  unequal 
financial  resources  of  the  various  counties.  A  county's 
ability  to  support  schools  is  best  indicated  by  the  amount 
of  taxable  wealth  back  of  each  child.  So  viewed,  Balti- 
more County  has,  in  1914,  $3,840  back  of  each  child;  St. 
Mary's,  $710.  Baltimore  County  would  at  the  same 


152        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

tax  rate  thus  raise  five  or  six  times  as  much  per  child  as 
St.  Mary's.     (Fig.  33.) 

Fully  as  important  is  the  relative  willingness  of  the 
several  counties  to  tax  themselves  for  education.  The 
county  school  tax  rate  is  an  excellent  index  of  educa- 
tional interest. 

FIG.  33 
TAXABLE  WEfdIH  BACK  OF  EACH    QUID  (5-20) 


Between  1890  and  1914  the  tax  rate  went  up  in  every 
county  in  the  state — that  is,  every  county  in  Maryland 
cared  more  about  education  in  1914  than  in  1890.  But 
just  as  the  counties  did  not  care  equally  in  1890,  so  they 
did  not  care  equally  in  1914.  The  range  of  disparity  is 
just  as  great  now  as  it  was  twenty-five  years  ago.  (Fig. 
34.)  At  the  former  date  Somerset  was  at  the  bottom  of 
the  list  with  a  rate  of  7.4  cents,  Allegany  at  the  top  with 

28.1  cents.     In  1914  Charles  is  lowest,  with  a  rate  of 

17.2  cents,  and  Garrett  leads  with  a  rate  of  45.3  cents. 


FINANCE  153 

Whether  a  high  tax  rate  means  relative  liberality  and  a 

low  tax  rate  relative  niggardliness  is,  however,  another 


FIG.  34 

COUNTY  SCHOOL  TAX 


•c  t?  "H  "S 

8 II 1 1  -a  1  1  3  1 1  §  £ 


q  '(?  ;«    «    «    .5    ^a    o 


matter.  The  counties  are  not,  strictly  speaking,  directly 
comparable  with  one  another,  because  no  uniform  prin- 
ciple of  assessing  valuation  prevails  throughout  the  state. 
Hence,  one  county  which  makes  a  high  assessment  and 
levies  a  moderate  school  tax  may  be  doing  more  liberally 
by  its  schools  than  another  which  makes  a  low  assess- 
ment and  levies  an  apparently  generous  school  tax.  We 
have  already  urged  that  the  state  should,  in  order  to 
equalize  opportunity,  do  most  for  those  counties  that  are 
least  able  to  help  themselves.  But  such  inability  cannot 
be  at  once  inferred  from  a  low  assessed  valuation.  Little 


154       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

can  be  done  to  bring  about  readjustment  until  assess- 
ments are  equalized  throughout  the  state.  Meanwhile, 
as  far  as  tax  rate  goes  and  ignoring  assessment,  eleven 
counties1  appear  to  be  making  even  greater  financial 
sacrifice  for  their  schools  than  Baltimore  County;  but  the 
very  counties  that  receive  from  the  state  the  largest  pro- 
portion of  money  spent  on  local  schools,  Calvert,  Charles, 
and  St.  Mary's,  are  the  counties  that  have  the  lowest 
school  tax. 

While  there  is,  therefore,  some  reason  for  encourage- 
ment in  the  increasing  local  support  of  the  schools,  the 
fact  cannot  be  ignored  that  the  three  counties  receiving 
from  the  state  from  60  to  70  per  cent,  of  all  the  money 
locally  available  for  education  are  the  very  counties  that 
are  doing  the  least  for  themselves;  nor  can  it  be  over- 
looked that  rich  counties  like  Carroll,  Howard,  and  Tal- 
bot  are  apparently  content  to  rely  upon  the  state  for  40 
to  50  per  cent,  of  their  school  expenditures.  The  moral 
is  plain:  the  state  cannot  afford  to  dispense  its  school 
funds  without  requiring  a  minimum  school  levy  on  the 
part  of  the  several  counties.  Even  so,  the  situation 
will  continue  to  be  more  or  less  chaotic,  unless  and  until 
property  is  assessed  upon  an  equitable  and  uniform  basis. 
For  no  absolutely  fair  distribution  of  the  state  fund  can 
be  made  unless  the  minimum  rate  upon  which  the  state 
should  insist  is  levied  upon  an  assessed  valuation  that 
really  means  the  same  thing  in  every  county. 

^llegany,  Caroline,  Cecil,  Dorchester,  Frederick,  Garrett,  Kent, 
Prince  George,  Queen  Anne,  Wicomico,  and  Worcester. 


X.    IMPROVEMENTS  IN  THE  STATE 
ORGANIZATION 

THE  defects  in  Maryland  education  to  which  we 
have  now  drawn  attention  arise  partly  from 
inferior  organization  due  to  poor  laws,  partly 
from  inferior  personnel,  as  a  result  of  low  educational 
ideals.  Let  us  admit  at  the  outset  that  unless  the  people 
of  Maryland  effectually  demand  that  their  educational 
officers  should  be  chosen  on  the  ground  of  fitness,  and 
that  political  influence  be  eliminated,  the  mere  rewriting 
of  the  statutes  will  not  work  any  miracles.  The  rewriting 
of  the  statutes  is,  however,  desirable,  because  statutes 
can  be  so  drawn  as  to  assist  the  people  of  the  state  in 
making  their  will  prevail.  On  this  assumption,  what 
alteration  should  be  made  in  the  statutes  dealing  with 
the  State  Department  of  Education? 

The  State  Board  must  be  reconstituted,  so  as  to  remove 
it  as  far  as  possible  from  politics  and  so  as  to  make  it 
independent  of  the  educational  agents  and  institutions 
with  which  it  may  find  itself  called  on  to  deal.  We  have 
already  called  attention  to  the  conditions  which  consti- 
tute the  political  menace.  At  least  two  of  the  six  ap- 
pointive members  of  the  Board  must  be  regarded  as 
representatives  of  the  party  defeated  in  the  last  general 


156        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

election;  worse  still,  these  appointments  must  be  made 
"by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate." 
Again,  the  Governor  is  an  ex-omcio  member  of  the  Board 
and  as  a  rule  its  presiding  officer.  To  remove  the  State 
Board  as  far  as  possible  from  politics,  its  members  should 
be  appointed  without  regard  to  parties  for  long  terms — 
say  seven  years — confirmation  by  the  Senate  should  be 
dispensed  with,  and  the  Governor  should  be  deprived  of 
membership. 

The  Board  should,  we  have  further  stipulated,  be  in- 
dependent of  its  own  agents  and  of  institutions  with 
which  it  deals.  For  this  reason,  the  State  Superintend- 
ent, while  privileged  to  attend  its  meetings  and  to  par- 
ticipate in  its  deliberations,  should  not  be  a  member  of 
the  State  Board  which  he  serves  as  secretary  and 
executive  officer.  Persons  connected  with  educational 
institutions  likely  to  be  at  any  time  affected  by  actions 
of  the  State  Board  should  be  ineligible  for  appointment. 
For  this  suggestion  there  is  also  the  additional  reason  that 
a  State  Board  of  Education  should  be  essentially  a  lay 
body,  whose  members  are  chosen  because  of  their  interest 
in  education  and  their  knowledge  of  the  temper  and 
aspirations  of  the  people.  A  body  so  constituted  will 
not,  of  course,  originate  educational  policies,  decide 
technical  educational  questions,  or  supervise  the  schools. 
Theirs,  as  we  have  pointed  out,  is  the  privilege  of  repre- 
senting the  people,  through  bringing  the  experience  of  the 
layman  and  the  layman's  point  of  view  to  bear  upon  the 
policies  proposed  by  their  professional  agents.  It  is, 


STATE  ORGANIZATION  157 

in  short,  the  function  of  a  State  Board  of  Education,  not 
to  administer  the  schools,  but  to  govern  under  the  law, 
to  legislate  within  its  powers,  and  to  pass  judgment  upon 
the  efficiency  of  its  paid  officers. 

The  functions  of  the  Board  thus  reorganized  should  be 
more  clearly  formulated.  The  school  laws  of  Maryland, 
like  those  of  all  states,  are  the  product  of  frequent  and 
fragmentary  legislation,  drawn  by  different  persons  at 
different  times.  They  are  therefore  lacking  in  consist- 
ency. A  power  allotted  to  the  Board  in  one  instance  is 
in  the  next  given  to  the  State  Superintendent;  and  vice 
versa.  Thus  inspection  and  supervision  duties  are  at 
times  assigned  to  the  Board,  while  legislative  responsi- 
bilities are  imposed  upon  the  State  Superintendent. 
For  example,  the  State  Board  is  authorized,  as  we  have 
said,  to  grant  life  certificates;  the  State  Superintendent 
to  grant  certificates  to  graduates  of  institutions  outside 
of  Maryland.  The  Board  is  empowered  to  approve  the 
qualifications  of  regular  high  school  teachers;  the  State 
Superintendent,  of  special  high  school  teachers.  The 
Board  is  required  to  pass  upon  the  establishment  of  col- 
ored industrial  schools,  while  the  State  Superintendent 
certifies  to  the  controller  the  right  of  particular  schools 
to  receive  state  aid  after  they  are  established. 

The  principle  on  which  powers  and  duties  should  be 
allotted  to  the  State  Board  and  to  the  State  Superin- 
tendent respectively  is  simple  enough.  Matters  relating 
to  government  and  legislation  belong  to  the  Board; 
everything  ha\dng  to  do  with  the  execution  of  the  will  of 


158       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

the  Board,  that  is,  with  inspection,  supervision,  and 
administration  belongs  to  the  State  Superintendent. 
To  illustrate:  a  lay  board  cannot  be  expected  to  know 
enough  about  the  technique  of  professional  preparation 
to  pass  upon  the  qualification  of  regular  high  school 
teachers.  It  is,  however,  entirely  within  the  Board's 
scope  to  determine,  with  the  assistance  of  the  State  Super- 
intendent, what  these  qualifications  should  be.  But  the 
responsibility  of  actually  applying  the  standards  set  up 
is  clearly  a  professional  task,  belonging  to  the  State 
Superintendent. 

A  thoroughgoing  revision  of  both  the  school  laws  and 
the  by-laws  in  strict  uniformity  with  this  principle  would 
localize  responsibility,  facilitate  the  work  of  the  State 
Superintendent,  and  free  the  Board  from  the  necessity  of 
taking  up  technical  details.  The  resulting  relation  would 
be  analogous  to  that  existing  between  a  board  of  directors 
and  the  manager  of  a  business  corporation.  Like  the 
board  of  directors,  the  State  Board  would  establish 
controlling  policies;  then,  like  the  business  manager,  the 
State  Superintendent  would  be  responsible  for  the  con- 
duct of  the  schools  in  conformity  with  these  policies. 

To  complete  the  needed  reorganization,  the  State 
Board  of  Education  should  appoint  its  own  executive 
officer.  A  public  service  body  cannot  be  fairly  held 
responsible  for  a  chief  officer  not  of  its  own  choosing. 
Besides,  the  appointment  of  the  State  Superintendent  by 
the  State  Board  of  Education  would  remove  the  state 
superintendency  one  step  farther  from  politics. 


STATE  ORGANIZATION  159 

Finally,  the  State  Board  of  Education  should  be  em- 
powered, within  the  limits  of  its  annual  appropriation,  to 
fix  the  salary  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Schools  as 
well  as  all  the  subordinates  selected  on  his  recommenda- 
tion and  working  under  him.  The  Board  supervises  the 
expenditure  of  millions:  can  it  not  be  trusted  to  regulate 
the  pay  of  its  own  officers  and  clerks? 

In  certain  important  respects,  the  powers  of  the  Board 
need  to  be  increased,  in  order  that  the  purposes  of  exist- 
ing laws  may  be  carried  out.  For  example,  the  State 
Board  is  already  authorized  to  remove  county  super- 
intendents for  cause  and  to  institute  legal  proceedings  to 
that  end.  There  is  need  of  a  means  of  enforcement  which 
can  be  applied  more  quickly  and  with  less  public  agita- 
tion. Again,  certain  counties— Calvert,  for  example — 
do  not  pay  salary  enough  to  secure  the  full-time  superin- 
tendent required  by  law;  others — Dorchester,  among 
them — employed  non-certificated  persons  to  teach,  in 
defiance  of  law;  Anne  Arundel  engages  teachers  who  have 
not  had  the  six  weeks'  professional  training  required  by 
the  law  of  1914.  All  these  statutes  are  violated  with 
impunity.  They  are  in  fact  hardly  more  than  counsels 
tendered  by  the  state  to  the  local  authorities  to  be  heeded 
or  not,  as  the  local  authorities  see  fit.  Meanwhile,  the 
state  pours  its  liberal  contribution  into  the  county  treas- 
ury, regardless  of  whether  the  law  is  enforced  or  broken. 
Unquestionably,  the  State  Board  should  be  authorized  in 
such  cases  to  withhold  the  state  appropriation  until  the 
laws  are  complied  with. 


160       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

We  have  repeatedly  noted  the  absence  of  a  uniform 
method  of  certificating  teachers.  There  are,  indeed,  more 
standards  than  there  are  counties,  since  the  State  Board, 
the  State  Superintendent,  and  the  county  superintendents 
all  participate.  The  State  Board  should  be  invested  with 
full  powers  over  the  examination  and  certification  of 
teachers,  including  county  superintendents,  supervisors, 
principals,  and  attendance  officers.  Conditions  favor 
this  uniform  standard,  for  under  the  law,  the  same  sala- 
ries are  paid  in  most  counties.  Under  this  arrangement 
the  examinations  of  elementary  teachers  would  be  held  as 
now  at  stated  intervals  at  the  county  seats  of  the  respec- 
tive counties.  The  questions  would  be  prepared  and  the 
answers  read  by  the  State  Superintendent  and  his  assist- 
ants, while  the  county  superintendents  would  merely 
conduct  the  examinations  and  certify  to  the  character  of 
the  applicants.  The  great  mass  of  teachers  would  there- 
fore be  in  no  way  inconvenienced  by  the  centralization 
of  authority. 

A  final  suggestion  deals  with  school  buildings.  Mary- 
land possesses  a  few  school  buildings  as  good  as  any  to 
be  found  in  the  entire  country.  But  whether  a  new 
building  is  well  planned  or  not  is  now  a  matter  of  accident. 
The  results  have  been  pointed  out  in  preceding  chapters. 
To  introduce  system,  where  chance  now  rules,  the  State 
Board  should  receive  the  authority  to  prescribe  regula- 
tions governing  the  building  of  schoolhouses  and  the 
State  Superintendent,  as  its  executive  officer,  should  be 
required,  after  examining  plans  and  specifications,  to 


STATE  ORGANIZATION  161 

give  written  approval  before  building  contracts  become 
valid. 

In  this,  as  in  other  respects,  the  State  Board  must  act 
through  its  executive  officer,  the  State  Superintendent. 
But  the  resources  at  the  disposal  of  the  Superintendent, 
inadequate  at  present,  need  to  be  extended  as  well  as 
specialized,  if  the  office  is  to  be  made  efficient.  With 
his  single  assistant,  the  State  Superintendent  cannot  now 
inspect  and  direct  the  high  schools  as  the  law  expects; 
nor  can  he  advise  with  local  authorities  in  reference  to 
their  local  problems — the  school  levy,  new  buildings, 
school  statistics,  the  county  course  of  study,  the  colored 
industrial  schools,  or  the  condition  of  public  sentiment. 
At  the  very  least,  the  Superintendent's  staff  must  be 
increased  to  include  an  assistant  superintendent,  to  be 
in  charge  of  the  correspondence,  publications,  records, 
reports,  educational  statistics,  and  the  audit  of  the  ac- 
counts of  the  county  school  boards;  a  supervisor  of  high 
schools,  charged  with  the  supervision  of  state-aided  high 
schools  and  the  work  of  all  other  schools  above  the 
seventh  grade;  a  supervisor  of  rural  schools,  who  shall 
give  his  entire  energies  to  helping  teachers,  superintend- 
ents, and  interested  communities  work  out  a  program  of 
rural  education  adapted  to  the  individual  and  collective 
needs  of  a  state  that  is  overwhelmingly  rural  in  its  popu- 
lation, industries,  and  interests;  and  a  white  supervisor 
of  colored  schools.  The  Superintendent  should  have  a 
reasonable  allowance  for  travelling  and  for  clerical  aid. 
The  total  annual  cost  of  the  office  of  the  State  Suoerin- 


162        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

tendent  will  be  thus  increased  from  $7,700  to  perhaps 
$20,000  a  year.  The  increase  is  large,  not  because  the 
proposed  program  is  elaborate,  but  because  the  former 
basis  was  utterly  inadequate.  The  expense  of  conducting 
the  state  department  must  be  regarded  as  an  overhead 
charge  incurred  for  the  purpose  of  getting  better  results 
from  the  state's  present  school  expenditure.  Is  it  not 
economy  to  spend  $20,000  in  order  that  $1,500,000  raised 
by  the  state  may  be  wisely  rather  than  inefficiently  used 
and  that  $3,500,000  raised  locally  may  be  more  effec- 
tively expended?  Moreover,  the  increased  cost  of  the 
state  department  does  not  mean  increased  taxation  or 
increased  appropriations;  for  it  is  paid  for,  not  by  the 
state  treasury,  but  by  the  school  fund,  and  it  is  wisdom 
to  make  sure  of  an  effective  central  administration  if  the 
counties  do  get  a  few  hundred  dollars  less  apiece.  Even 
so,  there  need  be  no  fear  that  the  state  department  will 
be  unduly  strong.  The  counties  retain  their  proper 
power  and  authority;  the  state  department  is  simply 
enabled  to  cooperate  with  them  intelligently,  and  the 
state  fund  is,  as  it  should  be,  the  lever,  by  means  of  which 
the  counties  can  be  brought  into  line. 


XI.    IMPROVEMENTS  IN  THE  COUNTY 
ORGANIZATION 

A  STRENGTHENED  State  Department  of  Educa- 
tion must,  as  we  have  just  said,  be  accompanied 
by  a  strengthened  county  educational  organiza- 
tion. To  this  end  three  steps  must  be  taken:  the  county 
school  boards  must  be  placed  on  an  educational,  instead 
of  a  political,  basis;  they  must  be  made  reasonably  inde- 
pendent on  the  financial  side ;  and  they  must  be  provided 
with  an  adequate  professional  staff. 

The  county  boards  should  represent  local  interest 
in  education.  Can  such  boards  be  constituted  without 
regard  to  political  considerations  if  appointments  con- 
tinue to  be  made  by  the  Governor?  Certainly,  politics 
will  creep  in,  unless  public  sentiment  is  vigilant,  intelli- 
gent, and  determined.  The  present  law  should  be  so 
modified  as  to  concentrate  responsibility  in  the  Governor, 
who  should  not  be  permitted  to  share  his  responsibility 
with  the  Senate.  The  Governor  will  thus  be  in  position 
to  make  his  educational  appointments  without  deferring 
to  political  influences.  Otherwise,  with  a  change  of  admin- 
istration, Democrats  will  succeed  Republicans,  and  vice 
versa,  irrespective  of  past  services  or  efficiency. 

County  school  boards  in  the  next  place  must  be  given 


164        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

a  reasonable  degree  of  financial  freedom.  Financial 
independence  is  needed  not  only  to  complete  the  libera- 
tion of  the  boards  from  county  politics,  but  to  put  them 
in  position  to  do  their  duty  by  the  schools.  There  is  not 
a  county  in  the  state,  as  previously  pointed  out,  in  which 
the  schools  have  not  suffered  from  unjustifiable  lack  of 
funds.  So  acute  did  the  needs  in  five  counties  become — 
and  among  these  are  the  largest  and  financially  the 
strongest — Baltimore,  Allegany,  Frederick,  Montgomery, 
and  Prince  George,  that,  as  we  have  remarked,  recourse 
was  had  to  the  General  Assembly  for  legislation  compel- 
ling financial  action  on  the  part  of  the  county  commis- 
sioners. If  the  largest  and  richest  counties  cannot  wring 
from  the  county  commissioners  ample  funds  for  the 
schools,  boards  of  education  in  smaller  and  less  wealthy 
counties  must  surely  find  themselves  in  an  impossible 
position. 

It  was  never  intended,  if  we  read  the  law  aright,  that 
the  county  commissioners  should  really  control  school 
finances.  They  were  expected  simply  to  protect  the  tax- 
payer against  waste,  as  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  the 
commissioners  are  required  to  levy  the  taxes,  demanded 
by  the  County  Board  of  Education,  up  to  a  certain  limit. 
Beyond  this  limit,  the  county  commissioners  enjoy  dis- 
cretion obviously  meant  to  enable  them  to  check  extrava- 
gance, not  to  block  progress.  Unfortunately,  the 
present  mandatory  rate  that  must  be  levied  on  the  re- 
quest of  the  county  educational  authorities  is  entirely 
inadequate;  so  inadequate,  that  funds  are  insufficient 


COUNTY  ORGANIZATION  165 

even  when  additional  levies  from  i  to  28  cents  on  $100 
are  raised.  The  remedy  must  be  sought  in  the  first 
place  in  raising  the  mandatory  limit. 

Just  where  the  limit  should  be  placed  is  not  easy  to 
determine.  No  county  now  raises  more  money  than  it 
ought.  Hence  the  mandatory  limit  up  to  which  county 
commissioners  must  act  on  the  request  of  the  school 
boards  should  approximate  the  highest  rates  now  levied. 
Four  counties  now  levy  in  excess  of  40  cents  on  the  $100: 
Garrett,  45  cents;  Worcester,  44;  Queen  Anne  and  Alle- 
gany,  43.  In  view  of  the  needs  of  the  schools  even  in 
these  counties,  a  mandatory  maximum  rate  of  50  cents  on 
the  $100  for  the  state  would  not  be  excessive.  It  does 
not  follow  that  this  maximum  will  be  requested  unless 
it  is  needed  or  can  be  afforded.  School  boards  are  just 
as  amenable  to  local  considerations  as  other  bodies. 
They  are  not  likely  to  go  faster  than  local  sentiment  ap- 
proves or  local  resources  allow. 

Even  then,  a  levy  of  50  cents  on  $100  will  not  pay  for 
new  buildings:  no  feasible  current  levy  could  or  should. 
A  school  building  that  has  a  life  of  twenty-five  years  or 
more  should  be  paid  for  by  the  successive  generations 
who  use  it — that  is,  by  a  bond  issue.  At  present  a  bond 
issue  for  school  building  requires  legislative  action  and 
therefore  often  involves  log-rolling  and  politics.  The 
state  should  have  a  general  law  permitting  counties  to 
issue  bonds  for  the  erection  of  buildings  up  to  a  fixed 
per  cent,  of  the  assessable  property  of  the  county,  and 
also  empowering  them  to  hold  a  special  election  if  this 


i66        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

amount  is  to  be  exceeded.  Five  per  cent,  is  the  usual 
maximum,  but  in  Louisiana  it  is  10  per  cent.,  and  in  Vir- 
ginia, 1 8  per  cent. 

If  the  suggestions  just  made  should  be  written  into  the 
law,  it  would  be  possible  for  the  counties  to  do  their  duty 
by  the  schools.  Even  then  the  counties  might,  of  course, 
be  recalcitrant.  The  remedy  is  easy.  Maryland  now 
distributes  an  unusually  large  sum  in  aid  of  education 
without  requiring  from  the  counties  an  adequate  "quid 
pro  quo."  In  consequence,  the  counties  that  receive 
most  do  least.  As  a  pre-condition  to  receiving  any  part 
of  the  state's  largess  at  all,  every  county  should  be  re- 
quired first  to  make  a  fixed  local  minimum  school  levy. 
This  minimum  local  levy  ought  not  to  be  lower  than  the 
present  average  local  levy  for  all  the  counties  taken  to- 
gether— viz.,  34  cents  on  the  $100.  Even  a  minimum 
local  levy  of  34  cents  would  materially  affect  only  eight 
counties.  These  are,  however,  the  very  counties  that 
should  be  affected — rich  counties  like  Carroll,  Howard, 
Talbot,  and  Washington,  because  they  are  relying  too 
much  on  the  state;  and  poor  counties  like  Anne  Arundel, 
Calvert,  Charles,  and  St.  Mary's,  because  they  are  doing 
too  little  for  themselves. 

Let  us  assume  that  in  the  ways  above  mentioned 
local  education  is  more  effectively  financed.  Does  it 
follow  that  more  money  will  make  better  schools? 
Not  necessarily.  The  present  organization  in  most 
counties  cannot  really  use  to  good  purpose  much  larger 
sums  than  are  now  spent.  If  the  supply  of  money  is 


COUNTY  ORGANIZATION  167 

to  be  increased,  steps  must  be  taken  to  ensure  its  wise 
expenditure. 

The  counties — we  need  hardly  repeat  that  there  are 
exceptions — need  more  competent  educational  leader- 
ship. No  one  should  be  eligible  to  a  county  superintend- 
ency  unless  he  possesses  definite  professional  qualifica- 
tions and  teaching  experience.  The  County  Superintend- 
ent should  be  a  college  graduate  who  has  had  at  least  five 
years  of  actual  experience  in  the  elementary  schools,  and 
not  less  than  one  year  of  professional  work  in  an  approved 
university  specializing  in  educational  administration  and 
supervision.  His  appointment  should  require  the  writ- 
ten approval  of  the  State  Superintendent.  His  tenure 
should  be  at  least  four  and  preferably  six  years;  he  should 
be  chosen  in  the  middle,  not  at  the  beginning,  of  the 
Governor's  term  of  office;  his  salary  should  not  be  per- 
mitted to  fall  below  a  given  minimum,  and  the  state 
should  pay  from  the  school  fund  one-half  of  any  sajary 
up  to  a  certain  sum.  Progressive  counties,  like  Alle- 
gany  and  Baltimore,  will  gladly  pay  more  than  the  max- 
imum in  which  the  state  would  share,  in  order  to  retain 
in  their  service  able  and  experienced  leaders. 

A  County  Superintendent  who  is  thus  qualified  should 
bear  full  responsibility  for  the  conduct  of  the  schools  in 
conformity  with  the  state  laws.  He  should  have  author- 
ity over  the  courses  of  study,  the  choice  of  text-books  and 
school  supplies,  the  grading  of  the  schools,  the  examina- 
tion and  promotion  of  pupils,  and  over  the  employment 
and  the  placing  of  teachers  in  the  schools.  Of  especial 


i68        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

importance  in  Maryland  is  the  point  mentioned  last. 
Politics  and  personal  interest  will  not  be  eliminated  from 
the  schools  of  Maryland  while  County  School  Board 
members  continue  to  be  influential  in  the  appointment  of 
assistant  teachers,  and  district  trustees  select  the  princi- 
pal teacher  in  their  respective  schools.  Teachers  and 
principals  should  be  appointed  by  the  County  Board  on 
nomination  by  the  County  Superintendent.  The  power 
of  local  trustees  should  be  limited  to  filing  written 
charges  with  the  County  Board,  while  the  dismissal  in 
each  case  should  be  made  only  on  the  recommendation 
of  the  Superintendent  with  the  approval  of  the  Board. 
Local  pride  and  interest  must  indeed  be  cultivated;  but 
it  is  believed  that  both  are  best  conserved  by  whatever 
measures  make  for  school  efficiency. 

All  but  four  counties  in  Maryland  now  suffer  woefully 
from  lack  of  supervision,  though  county  school  boards 
possess  the  power  to  'provide  the  needed  professional 
help,  having  been  authorized  in  1904,  under  limitations, 
to  employ  assistant  superintendents  and,  in  1910,  to  en- 
gage a  supervisor.  Thus  far  five  counties  have  chosen 
assistant  superintendents,  three  of  whom  do  the  work  of 
clerks,  and  only  four  have  full-time  supervisors.  The 
employment  of  supervisors  should  cease  to  be  permissive. 
Every  county  employing  100  teachers  or  more  should 
be  required  to  have  at  least  one  supervisor,  and  counties 
should  be  permitted  to  have  as  many  more  as  may  be 
locally  thought  desirable.1  The  state  should  guard 

xTwo  small  counties  each  having  less  than  100  teachers  should  be  al- 
lowed to  join  in  employing  a  supervisor. 


COUNTY  ORGANIZATION  169 

against  incompetent  supervision  by  prescribing  minimum 
qualifications — viz.,  graduation  from  a  standard  normal 
school,  three  years  of  experience  as  a  teacher  in  the 
elementary  schools,  and  at  least  one  year  of  special  prep- 
aration beyond  the  normal  in  a  reputable  university. 
A  salary  commensurate  with  the  importance  of  the 
service  should  be  fixed  by  the  state,  half  of  it  to  be 
paid  out  of  the  school  fund.  As  an  additional  safe- 
guard the  appointment  of  supervisors  should  be  invalid 
until  approved  in  writing  by  the  State  Superintendent. 

Into  schools  improved  as  the  schools  of  Maryland  would 
be  improved  by  such  steps  as  have  been  above  recom- 
mended, the  children  of  the  state  must  be  regularly  and 
continuously  brought.  School  enrolment  must  be  syn- 
onymous with  school  population;  school  attendance  must 
approximate  school  enrolment.  To  this  end  the  state 
requires  a  genuine — not  an  optional — compulsory  attend- 
ance law,  affecting  all  children  between  eight  and  fourteen 
years  of  age.  But  compulsory  education  does  not  en- 
force itself.  Hence  the  employment  of  at  least  one 
attendance  officer  whose  qualifications  are  certified  to 
and  whose  appointment  is  approved  by  the  State  Super- 
intendent should  be  made  mandatory  upon  the  counties. 
To  secure  properly  qualified  persons  for  this  important 
work,  the  state,  sharing  equally  in  the  payment  with  the 
counties,  should  guarantee  a  minimum  annual  salary. 

Finally,  in  order  that  competent  educational  officials 
may  do  the  work  awaiting  them,  decent  quarters  and  a 
fair  amount  of  office  help  are  necessary.  The  state  should 


lyo       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

therefore  require  county  boards  of  education  to  provide 
satisfactory  office  facilities,  to  employ  adequate  clerical 
assistance — never  less  than  one  stenographic  and  sta- 
tistical clerk — and  to  bear  the  expenses  necessary  to  the 
performance  of  official  duties.  In  case  of  failure,  the 
State  Board  of  Education  should  be  authorized  to  with- 
hold the  funds  of  the  state. 

The  suggestions  made  in  the  present  and  the  preceding 
chapters  are  not  counsels  of  perfection.  They  represent 
what,  if  it  will,  Maryland  can  easily  do  to  improve  its 
educational  organization  and  to  provide  this  improved 
organization  with  requisite  facilities.  Our  suggestions 
need  not  go  further.  We  need  add  nothing  to  what  we 
have  already  said  on  such  subjects  as  teacher  training, 
courses  of  study,  sanitation,  etc.  These  are,  to  be  sure, 
the  really  important  problems;  but  they  are  problems 
which  can  be  solved  only  by  the  educational  leaders  and 
the  teachers  of  the  state.  Given  qualified  leaders  work- 
ing under  the  fairly  favorable  conditions  which  our  sug- 
gestions aim  to  procure,  everything  else  that  the  schools 
of  Maryland  lack  will  come  in  its  proper  season. 


XII.    FINANCIAL  READJUSTMENTS 

THE  changes  proposed  in  the  State  Department 
of  Education  and  in  the  county  school  organiza- 
tion furnish  additional  reasons  for  adopting  a 
new  policy  in  the  use  and  distribution  of  state  school 
funds. 

Maryland  has,  as  was  pointed  out,  several  different 
school  funds,  real  or  "  so-called."  These  funds  estab- 
lished at  widely  different  times,  and  under  radically 
different  conditions,  are  all  distributed  in  different  ways. 
To  derive  the  greatest  benefit  from  the  present  liberal 
support  Maryland  as  a  state  is  giving  to  public  education, 
some  of  these  " so-called"  school  funds  should  be  abol- 
ished and  the  others  combined  into  a  single  fund  to  be 
known  as  the  General  State  School  Fund. 

This  policy  involves  the  abolition  of  the  Academic 
Fund  and  the  Bank  Stock  Fund,  and  the  discontinuance 
of  special  appropriations.  In  the  case  of  special  appro- 
priations, why  should  the  entire  state  be  taxed  in  order 
that  a  single  academy  may  be  singled  out  for  a  special 
gift,  or  in  order  that  a  particular  town  may  be  presented 
with  a  school  building  on  exceptionally  favorable  terms? 
Again,  the  Academic  Fund  now  bolsters  up  decrepit 
academies  in  the  very  shadow  of  the  new  and  vigorous 

171 


172        PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

state-aided  high  schools.  Its  abolition  will  save  $26,000, 
and  education  will  gain,  not  lose.  The  Bank  Stock  Fund, 
as  has  been  pointed  out,  is  held  by  the  state  in  the  name 
of  nineteen  counties.  The  entire  amount,  $278,000, 
should  be  paid  over  to  the  counties  to  be  used  in  their 
discretion — perhaps  for  buildings.  The  road  would 
thus  be  cleared  for  a  single  fund  to  be  distributed  on  a 
scientific  basis. 

Into  this  single  or  General  State  School  Fund  all  the 
remaining  items  should  be  brought — (a)  the  return  from 
the  War  Loan  of  1812,  now  amounting  to  $229,000,  the 
only  productive  school  fund  of  the  state,  and  (b)  the  Sur- 
plus Revenue  Fund,  the  principal  of  which  was  spent, 
the  state  obligating  itself,  however,  to  provide  forever  an 
annual  income  of  $34,069.  The  identity  and  the  conti- 
nuity of  the  War  Loan  of  181 2  and  of  the  Surplus  Revenue 
Fund1  should,  of  course,  be  preserved.  The  consolida- 
tion of  these  funds  would  simplify  the  work  of  account- 
ing, and  facilitate  an  equitable  distribution  of  the  state's 
contribution  to  the  counties. 

From  this  General  State  School  Fund  should  come,  in 
the  first  place,  such  sums  as  are  needed  for  the  reorgan- 
ized state  and  county  organizations  and  for  such  lines  of 
educational  activity  as  the  state  desires  to  develop.  The 

^he  constitutional  requirements  could  probably  be  met  if  legal  provi- 
sion were  made  for  raising  the  income  on  the  Surplus  Revenue  Fund  as  a 
part  of  the  state  school  tax,  to  be  distributed  according  to  the  provisions 
controlling  the  distribution  of  the  General  State  School  Fund.  Were  this 
done,  the  Surplus  Revenue  Fund  could  be  dropped  from  the  current 
accounts. 


FINANCIAL  READJUSTMENTS  173 

preceding  chapters  have  dealt  so  fully  with  these  points 
that  further  discussion  is  needless.  To  only  one  point 
need  special  attention  be  called. 

Maryland  adopted  in  1896  the  policy  of  furnishing 
free  text-books;  since  which  date  it  has  apportioned  to 
the  counties  and  the  city  of  Baltimore  $150,000  annually, 
amounting  in  1914  to  6 1  cents  per  child  enrolled. 

This  is  a  wise  policy,  though  somewhat  too  narrowly 
conceived.  The  materials  of  instruction  comprise  more 
than  text-books,  and  often  a  good  teacher  can  do  quite  as 
well  without  text-books  as  without  maps,  illustrative 
matter,  handwork  and  drawing  materials,  supplemen- 
tary readers,  reference  books,  and  the  like.  The  law 
indeed  provides  that,  after  text-books  have  been  pur- 
chased, any  surplus  remaining  may  be  expended  upon 
maps  of  Maryland  and  supplementary  readers;  in  most 
counties,  however,  there  is  and  can  be  no  surplus. 
The  sum  originally  provided  was  even  at  the  time  in- 
sufficient, and  since  then  the  enrolment  has  increased 
26,000,  of  whom  2,800  are  high  school  pupils.  In  the 
very  first  year  of  the  apportionment  the  counties  spent 
on  school  supplies  8  cents  per  child  and  Baltimore  City 
36  cents  in  excess  of  the  amount  received  from  the  state; 
and  in  1914  the  average  per  child  for  the  counties  was  20 
cents  and  for  Baltimore  City  65  cents. 

This  excess  expenditure,  naturally  enough,  is  largely 
confined  to  a  few  of  the  prosperous  counties,  the  majority 
spending  no  more  than  is  received  from  the  state.  The 
average  County  Board  of  Education  could  scarcely  be  ex- 


174       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

pected  to  spend  more.  As  a  consequence,  the  supply 
of  reference  books  and  supplementary  readers  is,  as  a 
rule,  woefully  inadequate,  and  books  aje  often  dog-eared 
and  unsanitary.  In  a  number  of  counties  there  are  few 
if  any  maps  and  no  illustrative  material  at  all;  in  more 
than  half  the  counties  objectionable  slates  are  in  use;  in 
not  to  exceed  three  counties  are  handwork  and  drawing 
materials  freely  supplied. 

To  furnish  free  text-books,  including  supplementary 
readers,  reference  books,  school  supplies,  handwork,  and 
drawing  materials,  in  adequate  quantities,  the  present 
apportionment  of  $150,000  should  be  materially  in- 
creased.1 So  long  as  the  materials  of  instruction  supplied 
are  as  meagre  as  they  now  are  in  many  of  the  counties, 
to  expect  teachers  to  do  good  work  is  like  asking  them 
"to  make  bricks  without  straw." 

Deductions  from  the  state  school  fund  for  special  pur- 
poses have  been  made  before  now;  hence,  no  new  princi- 
ple is  established  by  the  foregoing  recommendations. 
Nor  will  they,  if  heeded,  seriously  reduce  the  amount 
available  for  distribution.  Indeed,  in  consequence  of 
the  recent  increase  of  the  school  tax  to  17  cents,  the  total 
next  year  would  probably  not  fall  much  below  the  sum  of 
$1,353,000,  the  amount  distributed  in  1914.  In  any 
event,  the  sum,  whatever  it  is,  will  be  more  effective  in 
connection  with  an  improved  organization  than  would 
a  larger  sum,  without  it,  and  it  should  be  distributed,  in 

^he  average  per-pupil  cost  in  typical  cities  of  from  five  to  ten  thousand 
is,  for  elementary  pupils,  $2.12,  and  for  high  school  pupils,  $4.90. 


FINANCIAL  READJUSTMENTS  175 

view  of  the  special  aid  provided  for  high  schools,  so  as  to 
equalize  elementary  school  advantages. 

In  thus  distributing  the  general  school  fund,  three 
factors  ought  to  be  considered:  (a)  the  school  population 
between  six  and  fourteen  years  of  age,  (b)  school  attend- 
ance, (c)  the  comparative  wealth  of  the  counties.  For 
practical  purposes,  however,  only  the  first  two  factors 
can  at  this  moment  be  taken  into  consideration;  for  the 
counties  do  not  at  present  assess  property  uniformly,1 
and  until  they  do,  it  would  be  unjust  to  take  from  those 
that  estimate  their  wealth  justly  in  order  to  give  to  those 
that  make  an  unfairly  low  return  of  their  property.  On 
the  existing  basis  counties  with  a  high  rate  of  assessment 
would  indeed  be  twice  penalized :  they  would  pay  an  un- 
due part  of  the  state  tax  and  they  would  receive  a  re- 
duced amount  from  the  state.  Hence  the  adoption  of  a 
thoroughly  sound  and  equitable  method  of  distributing 
state  school  funds  will  need  to  be  delayed  until  such 
time  as  the  method  of  assessment  becomes  uniform. 
Meanwhile,  every  county  should  be  required  to  make  a 
minimum  levy,  and  no  part  of  the  state  apportionment 
should  be  paid  to  a  county  that  fails  to  comply  with 
this  requirement.  It  goes  without  saying  that  any  county 
is  free  to  raise  more  than  the  minimum  fixed  by  law. 

There  is  no  reason,  however,  why  the  precise  portion 
of  the  general  school  fund  due  the  several  counties  should 
not  immediately  be  determined  on  the  basis  of  the  actual 

deport  of  Commission  for  the  Revision  of  the  Taxation  System, 
pp.  13-15- 


176       PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  MARYLAND 

school  population  between  the  ages  of  six  and  fourteen, 
and  the  aggregate  school  attendance.  Children  between 
six  and  fourteen  represent  the  work  to  be  done  in  the 
elementary  schools;  the  aggregate  days  of  attendance 
represent  the  part  accomplished.  If  the  state's  aid  is 
based  on  the  school  population  between  six  and  fourteen 
the  state  assists  each  county  according  to  its  elementary 
school  burden;  if  it  is  modified  according  as  these  children 
come  to  school  or  not,  the  state  makes  of  its  aid — as  it 
should — a  powerful  lever  in  the  carrying  out  of  a  general 
policy.  The  adoption  of  this  suggestion  would  not 
materially  affect  the  amounts  now  received  by  the 
counties  and  the  city  of  Baltimore,  but  it  would  stimu- 
late effort  to  get  children  in  school  and  to  keep  them 
regular  in  attendance. 


APPENDIX 

NEW  EDUCATION  LAWS* 

AN  ACT  to  repeal  sections  9,  14,  15,  15^  as  amended  by  chapter  592  of 
the  Acts  of  1914, 16, 30, 33, 36, 37, 38, 39  as  amended  by  ch.  532  of  the  Acts 
of  1912,  40,  41,  6oA  as  amended  by  ch.  759  of  the  Acts  of  1914,  61,  79,  80, 
81,  90,  91,  134,  141,  146, 147  and  174  of  Article  77  of  Bagby's  Annotated 
Code  of  Public  Civil  Laws  of  Maryland,  entitled  "Public  Education"  and 
Section  4  of  ch.  173  of  the  Acts  of  1912,  sub- title  "School  Attendance"; 
to  repeal  and  reenact  with  amendments  sections  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  10,  n, 
12,  13,  17,  18,  19,  20,  21,  22,  23,  24,  25  as  amended  by  ch.  480  of  the  Acts 
of  1914,  26,  27,  28  as  amended  by  ch.  333  of  the  Acts  of  1912,  29,  31,  32, 
and  sections  34,  34A,  346,  and  34C  as  amended  by  ch.  461  of  the  Acts  of 
1914,  35,  42,  43,  as  amended  by  ch.  480  of  the  Acts  of  1914,  44,  47,  48,  49, 
50,  52,  53  as  amended  by  ch.  85  of  the  Acts  of  1914,  54,  55,  56,  57,  58,  59 
as  amended  by  ch.  138  of  the  Acts  of  1912, 60, 62  as  amended  by  ch.  736  of 
the  Acts  of  1914,  63,  64,  65,  68,  69,  70,  71,  72,  73,  74,  75,  76,  77,  78,  82  as 
amended  by  ch.  124  of  the  Acts  of  1914,  83,  84,  85,  86,  87,  88  as  amended 
by  ch.  849  of  the  Acts  of  1914,  125,  126  as  amended  by  ch.  651 
of  the  Acts  of  1914,  I26A  as  amended  by  ch.  82  of  the  Acts  of 
1914,  127,  128,  129,  130,  131,  132,  133,  136,  137,  138,  139,  142,  143,  144, 
145  and  173  of  said  article  77  of  Bagby's  Annotated  Code  of  Public  Civil 
Laws  of  Maryland,  entitled  "Public  Education"  and  section  1-127  and 
sec.  2-I24A  of  ch.  173  of  the  Acts  of  1912,  sub-title  "School  Attendance'' 
to  be  known  hereafter  as  sections  156  and  162  respectively  of  said  article 
77;  and  to  add  forty-four  new  sections  to  said  article  77  of  Bagby's 
Annotated  Code  of  Public  Civil  Laws  of  Maryland  entitled  "Public 
Education,"  same  to  be  designated  and  numbered  as  follows:  12 A,  126, 
I2C,  i2D,  i2E  and  i2p,  the  same  to  follow  12  of  said  article  77;  17 A, 

1  These  laws  take  effect  June  i,  1916. 

177 


178  APPENDIX 

176,  lyC,  lyD,  and  lyE,  the  same  to  follow  17  of  said  article  77;  19 A  and 
igB,  the  same  to  follow  19  of  said  article  77;  2oA  and  2oB,  the  same  to 
follow  20  of  said  article  77;  21  A,  2iB,  21 C,  and  2iD,  the  same  to  follow  21 
of  said  article  77;  2$A,  256,  256,  2$D,  2$E,  2sF,  256,  25H,  25!,  257,  25K, 
2$L  and  25M,  the  same  to  follow  25  of  said  article  77,  3iA  and  3iB,  the 
same  to  follow  31  of  said  article  77,  72A,  726,  720,  72D,  72E,  72F,  726, 
72H,  72!  and  72j,  the  same  to  follow  72  of  said  article  77;  the  same  being 
designed  to  harmonize  existing  laws  relating  to  Public  Education;  to 
provide  for  and  distribute  in  a  more  systematic  and  equitable  manner 
public  school  funds;  and  to  provide  for  a  more  thorough  and  efficient 
system  of  administration  and  supervision  of  public  education  in  the 
State  of  Maryland. 

SECTION  i .  Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  A  ssembly  of  Maryland,  That  sec- 
tions 9,  14, 15,  15^  as  amended  by  chapter  592  of  the  Acts  of  1914, 16,  30, 
33>  36>  37?  38,  39  as  amended  by  ch.  532  of  the  Acts  of  1912,  40,  41,  6oA 
as  amended  by  ch.  759  of  the  Acts  of  1914,61,  79,80,  81,  90,91, 134, 141, 
146,  147  and  174  of  article  77  of  Bagby's  Annotated  Code  of  Public  Civil 
Laws  of  Maryland  entitled  "Public  Education"  and  Section  4  of  ch.  173 
of  the  Acts  of  1912,  sub-title  "School  Attendance,"  be  and  the  same  are 
hereby  repealed;  that  sections,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  10,  n,  12,  13,  17,  18,  19, 
20,  21,  22,  23,  24,  25  as  amended  by  ch.  480  of  the  Acts  of  1914,  26,  27,  28 
as  amended  by  ch.  333  of  the  Acts  of  1912,  29,  31,  32,  and  Sections  34, 
34A,  346  and  34C  as  amended  by  ch.  461  of  the  Acts  of  1914,  35, 42, 43  as 
amended  by  ch.  480  of  the  Acts  of  1914,  44,  47,  48,  49,  50,  52,  53  as 
amended  by  ch.  85  of  the  Acts  of  1914,  54,  55,  56,  57,  58,  59  as  amended 
by  ch.  138  of  the  Acts  of  1912,  60, 62  as  amended  by  ch.  736  of  the  Acts  of 
1914,  63, 64, 65,  68, 69,  70,  71,  72,  73,  74,  75,  76,  77,  78,  82  as  amended  by 
ch.  124  of  the  Acts  of  1914,  83,  84,  85,  86,  87,  88  as  amended  by  ch.  849  of 
the  Acts  of  1914, 125, 126  as  amended  by  ch.  651  of  the  Acts  of  1914, 126A 
as  amended  by  ch.  82  of  the  Acts  of  1914,  127,  128,  129,  130,  131,  132, 
133,  J36,  137,  138,  139,  142,  143,  144,  145  and  173  of  said  article  77  of 
Bagby's  Annotated  Code  of  Public  Civil  Laws  of  Maryland  entitled 
"Public  Education"  and  section  1-127  and  section  2-1 24A  of  ch.  173  of 
the  Acts  of  1912,  sub- title  "School  Attendance,"  to  be  known  hereafter 
as  sees.  156  and  162  respectively,  be  and  the  same  are  hereby  repealed  and 
reenacted  with  amendments;  and  that  forty-four  new  sections  be  and 
they  are  hereby  added  to  said  Article  77  of  Bagby's  Annotated  Code  of 


APPENDIX  179 

Public  Civil  Laws  of  Maryland,  entitled  "Public  Education,"  the  same 
to  be  designated  and  numbered  as  follows:  12 A,  I2B,  I2C,  i2D,  I2E,  and 
i2F,  the  same  to  follow  12  of  said  Article  77;  I7A,  176,  170,  170  and 
i7E,  the  same  to  follow  17  of  said  article  77;  igA  and  igB,  the  same 
to  follow  19  of  said  Article  77;  2oA  and  2oB,  the  same  to 
follow  20  of  said  Article  77;  2iA,  2iB,  2iC,  and  2iD,  the  same  to  follow 
21  of  said  Article  77;  2sA,  256,  250,  25D,  25E,  25F,  2$G,  25!!,  25!,  25], 
2$K,  25L  and  2$M,  the  same  to  follow  25  of  said  Article  77;  3iA  and  316, 
the  same  to  follow  31  of  said  Article  77;  72A,  726,  72C,  72D,  72E,  72F, 
726,  72H,  72!  and  72j,  the  same  to  follow  72  of  said  Article  77. 

CHAPTER  i. 
Control  and  Supervision. 

2.  Educational  matters  affecting  the  State  and  the  general  care  and 
supervision  of  public  education  shall  be  entrusted  to  a  State  Department 
of  Education,  at  the  head  of  which  shall  be  a  State  Board  of  Education. 

3.  Educational  matters  affecting  a  County  shall  be  under  the  control 
of  a  County  Board  of  Education. 

4.  Educational  matters  affecting  a  school  district  shall  be  under  the 
care  of  a  District  Board  of  School  Trustees. 

CHAPTER  2. 
Formation  of  Boards. 

5.  The  State  Board  of  Education  shall  be  composed  of  seven  members, 
who  shall  be  appointed  from  the  citizens  of  the  State  by  the  Governor  for 
a  term  of  seven  years,  from  the  first  Monday  in  May  next  succeeding 
their  appointment,  and  they  shall  hold  office  until  their  successors  qualify. 
Provided  that  the  terms  of  office  of  persons  who  are  members  of  the 
Board,  at  the  time  of  the  passage  of  this  Act,  shall  not  be  affected  by  its 
provisions;  and  provided  further,  in  order  that  the  length  of  term  of  the 
first  seven  regular  appointments  under  this  section  shall  be  so  designated 
by  the  Governor  that  there  shall  thereafter  be  one  regular  vacancy  and 
one  regular  appointment  each  year,  the  Governor  shall  appoint  in  the  first 
instance  only  three  members,  one  of  whom  he  shall  designate  to  hold  office 
for  a  term  of  seven  years,  one  for  a  term  of  six  years,  and  one  for  a  term  of 


i8o  APPENDIX 

five  years,  from  the  first  Monday  in  May,  1918;  before  the  first  Monday 
in  May,  1920,  he  shall  appoint  two  members  for  a  term  of  six  and  seven 
years,  respectively,  from  the  first  Monday  in  May,  1920;  and  before  the 
first  Monday  in  May,  1922,  he  shall  appoint  two  members  to  serve  six 
and  seven  years,  respectively,  from  the  first  Monday  in  May,  1922. 
Thereafter  the  term  of  each  member  appointed  to  the  Board  shall  be 
seven  years.  The  members  of  the  Board  shall  be  appointed  solely  be- 
cause of  their  character  and  fitness,  but  no  person  shall  be  appointed  to 
the  Board  who  is  in  any  way  subject  to  its  authority,  and  the  Governor 
and  the  State  Superintendent  of  Schools  shall  not  be  members  of  this 
board  after  the  first  Monday  of  May,  1918.  The  Governor  may  remove 
any  member  of  the  Board  appointed  under  the  provisions  of  this  section 
for  immorality,  misconduct  in  office,  incompetency,  or  wilful  neglect  of 
duty,  giving  to  him  a  copy  of  the  charges  against  him  and  an  opportunity 
of  being  publicly  heard  in  person  or  by  counsel,  in  his  own  defense,  upon 
not  less  than  ten  days'  notice.  If  any  member  shall  be  removed  the  Gov- 
ernor shall  file  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  a  complete  statement 
of  all  charges  made  against  such  member,  and  his  findings  thereon,  to- 
gether with  a  complete  record  of  the  proceedings.  Vacancies  on  the 
Board  for  any  cause,  shall  be  filled  by  the  Governor,  for  the  unexpired 
term,  and  until  a  successor  shall  qualify.  Any  member  of  the  Board  shall 
be  eligible  for  reappointment  unless  otherwise  disqualified  by  the  pro- 
visions of  this  section. 

6.  County  Boards  of  Education  shall  be  composed  in  the  Counties  of 
Baltimore,  Carroll,  Frederick,  Dorchester,  Washington  and  Montgomery 
of  six  members,  and  in  each  of  the  other  counties  of  three  members,  who 
shall  be  appointed  from  the  citizens  of  the  county  by  the  Governor  for  a 
term  of  six  years  from  the  first  Monday  of  May  next  succeeding  their 
appointment,  and  they  shall  hold  office  until  their  successors  qualify. 
Provided  that  the  terms  of  office  of  persons  who  are  members  of  the 
County  Boards  at  the  time  when  this  act  shall  take  effect  shall  not  be 
affected  by  its  provisions;  and  provided  further  in  order  that  the  length 
of  the  first  six  regular  appointments  under  this  section  in  the  Counties  of 
Baltimore,  Carroll,  Frederick,  Dorchester,  Washington  and  Montgomery, 
and  the  first  three  regular  appointments  in  the  other  counties  shall  be  so 
designated  by  the  Governor  that  there  shall  thereafter  be  one  regular 
vacancy  and  one  regular  appointment  each  year  in  the  counties  of  Balti- 


APPENDIX  181 

more,  Carroll,  Frederick,  Dorchester,  Washington  and  Montgomery,  and 
one  regular  vacancy  and  one  regular  appointment  every  two  years  in  each 
of  the  other  counties,  the  Governor  shall  appoint  in  the  first  instance 
only  two  members  in  the  Counties  of  Baltimore,  Carroll,  Frederick, 
Dorchester,  Washington  and  Montgomery,  one  of  whom  he  shall  desig- 
nate to  hold  office  for  the  term  of  six  years,  and  the  other  for  the  term  of 
five  years,  from  the  first  Monday  in  May,  1918;  and  in  each  of  the  other 
counties  he  shall  appoint  in  the  first  instance  only  one  member  to  hold 
office  for  the  term  of  six  years,  from  the  first  Monday  in  May,  1918;  be- 
fore the  first  Monday  in  May,  1920,  he  shall  appoint  two  members  in  the 
Counties  of  Baltimore,  Carroll,  Frederick,  Dorchester,  Washington  and 
Montgomery  for  a  term  of  five  and  six  years,  respectively,  and  one  mem- 
ber in  each  of  the  other  counties  for  a  term  of  six  years,  from  the  first 
Monday  in  May,  1920.  And  before  the  first  Monday  in  May,  1922,  he 
shall  appoint  two  members  in  the  Counties  of  Baltimore,  Carroll,  Freder- 
ick, Dorchester,  Washington  and  Montgomery,  for  a  term  of  five  and  six 
years  respectively,  and  one  member  in  each  of  the  other  counties  for  a 
term  of  six  years,  from  the  first  Monday  in  May,  1922.  Thereafter,  the 
term  of  each  member  appointed  to  the  Boards  from  each  county  shall  be 
six  years.  The  members  of  the  Boards  shall  be  appointed  solely  because 
of  their  character  and  fitness,  but  no  person  shall  be  appointed  to  a  Board 
who  is  in  any  way  subject  to  its  authority.  The  State  Superintendent  of 
schools,  by  and  with  the  approval  of  the  Governor,  may  remove  any 
member  of  a  board  appointed  under  the  provisions  of  this  section  for  im- 
morality, misconduct  in  office,  incompetency  or  wilful  neglect  of  duty, 
giving  to  him  a  copy  of  the  charges  against  him,  and  an  opportunity  of 
being  publicly  heard  in  person  or  by  counsel,  in  his  own  defense,  upon  not 
less  than  ten  days'  notice.  If  any  member  of  a  county  board  shall  be 
removed,  the  state  superintendent  of  schools  shall  file  in  the  office  of  the 
Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  for  the  county  for  which  the  member  was  ap- 
pointed, if  the  member  so  requests,  a  complete  statement  of  all  charges 
made  against  such  member,  and  his  findings  thereon,  together  with  a 
complete  record  of  the  proceedings.  Vacancies  on  any  of  the  county 
boards  for  any  cause  shall  be  filled  by  the  Governor  for  the  unexpired 
term,  and  until  a  successor  shall  qualify.  Any  member  of  a  county  board 
shall  be  eligible  for  reappointment,  unless  otherwise  disqualified  by  the 
provisions  of  this  section. 


182  APPENDIX 

7.  District  boards  of  school  trustees  shall  each  be  composed  of  three 
members,  appointed  from  the  residents  of  the  school  district  by  the 
county  boards  of  education  on  or  before  the  third  Tuesday  in  May,  for  a 
term  of  three  years  from  the  third  Saturday  in  May  next  succeeding  their 
appointment,  and  they  shall  hold  office  until  their  successors  qualify. 
Provided  that  in  the  first  instance  the  county  boards  of  education  shall 
each  appoint  one  member  for  the  term  of  one  year,  one  member  for  the 
term  of  two  years  and  one  member  for  the  term  of  three  years,  from  the 
third  Saturday  in  May,  1917.    Thereafter  the  term  of  each  member  ap- 
pointed to  the  boards  shall  be  three  years.    The  members  of  the  boards 
shall  be  appointed  solely  because  of  their  character  and  fitness.     A 
county  board  of  education  may  remove  any  member  of  a  district  board 
of  trustees  of  the  same  county  for  immorality,  misconduct  in  office,  in- 
competency  or  wilful  neglect  of  duty,  giving  to  him  a  copy  of  the  charges 
against  him,  and  an  opportunity  of  being  publicly  heard,  in  person,  or  by 
counsel,  in  his  own  defense,  upon  not  less  than  ten  days'  notice.    Va- 
cancies on  the  boards  shall  be  filled  by  the  county  boards  of  education 
for  the  unexpired  term  and  until  a  successor  shall  qualify.    Any  member 
of  a  board  appointed  under  the  provisions  of  this  section  shall  be  eligible 
for  reappointment  unless  otherwise  disqualified  by  the  provisions  of  this 
section.    If  the  county  board  of  education  shall  find  it  impossible  in  any 
school  district  to  secure  the  required  number  of  competent  persons  who 
will  serve  as  members  of  the  district  board  of  school  trustees,  the  duties 
of  the  board  for  the  particular  school  district  shall  devolve  upon  the 
county  board  of  education. 

CHAPTER  3. 
The  State  Board  of  Education 

8.  The  state  board  of  education  shall  hold  its  annual  meeting  each 
year  at  the  office  of  the  State  Department  of  Education,  on  the  last 
Wednesday  in  May.     At  this  meeting  the  board  shall  each  year  elect  one 
of  its  members  to  serve  as  president,  and  one  to  serve  as  vice-president. 
Other  regular  meetings  shall  be  held  on  the  last  Wednesday  of  August, 
November  and  February,  and  such  special  meetings  may  be  held  as  the 
duties  and  business  of  the  board  may  require. 

lo.    The  members  of  the  state  board  of  education  shall  receive  no 


APPENDIX  183 

salary,  but  their  actual  traveling  and  other  necessary  expenses  incurred 
in  attending  the  meetings  and  transacting  the  business  of  the  board  shall 
be  paid.  The  state  superintendent  of  schools  shall  be  the  chief  executive, 
the  secretary  and  the  treasurer  of  the  state  board  of  education.  He  shall 
attend  all  meetings  of  the  board  and  of  its  committees,  except  when  his 
own  tenure,  salary  or  the  administration  of  his  office  are  under  considera- 
tion, and  shall  have  the  right  to  advise  on  any  question  under  considera- 
tion, but  shall  have  no  right  to  vote. 

11.  The  state  board  of  education  shall,  to  the  best  of  their  ability, 
cause  the  provisions  of  this  article  to  be  carried  into  effect.    They  shall 
determine  the  educational  policies  of  the  State;  they  shall  enact  by-laws 
for  the  administration  of  the  public  school  system,  which  when  enacted 
and  published  shall  have  the  force  of  law.     For  the  purpose  of  enforcing 
the  provisions  of  this  article,  and  the  enacted  and  published  by-laws  of 
the  Board,  the  state  board  of  education  shall,  if  necessary,  institute  legal 
proceedings. 

12.  The  state  board  of  education  shall  exercise,  through  the  state 
superintendent  of  schools  and  his  professional  assistants,  general  control 
and  supervision  over  the  public  schools  and  educational  interests  of  the 
State;  they  shall  consult  with  and  advise,  through  their  executive  officer 
and  his  professional  assistants,  county  boards  of  education,  boards  of 
district  school  trustees,  county  superintendents,  supervisors,  attendance 
officers,  principals,  teachers,  and  interested  citizens,  and  shall  seek  in 
every  way  to  direct  and  develop  public  sentiment  in  support  of  public 
education. 

I2A.  The  state  board  of  education  shall  prescribe,  with  and  on  the 
advice  of  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  rules  and  regulations  for  the 
hygienic,  sanitary  and  protective  construction  of  school  buildings  and 
outhouses. 

1 26.  The  state  board  of  education  shall  prescribe,  with  and  on  the 
advice  of  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  rules  and  regulations  for 
grading  and  standardizing  all  public  schools.  They  may  limit,  on  the 
basis  of  the  equipment  and  number  of  teachers  employed,  the  years  and 
grades  of  instruction  offered  in  any  public  school.  They  shall  prescribe 
the  minimum  requirements  for  issuing  all  certificates,  diplomas,  and 
academic,  collegiate,  professional  or  university  degrees.  No  public 
school  shall  be  officially  titled  a  "high  school"  without  the  consent  and 


184  APPENDIX 

approval  of  the  state  board  of  education;  nor  shall  any  public  or  private 
educational  institution  issue  any  certificate,  diploma  or  academic,  col- 
legiate, professional  or  university  degree  without  having  first  obtained 
the  assent  of  the  state  board  of  education  and  approval  of  said  board  of 
the  conditions  of  entrance,  scholarship,  and  residence  upon  which  said 
certificate,  diploma  or  degree  is  issued. 

I2C.  The  state  board  of  education  shall  prescribe,  with  and  on  the 
advice  of  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  courses  of  study  for  the 
public  elementary  schools,  the  public  high  schools,  and  the  state  normal 
schools,  which  shall  be  printed  in  such  quantities  as  to  provide  each  pub- 
lic school  official  and  teacher  with  a  copy,  and  sufficient  for  general  dis- 
tribution among  the  private  schools  and  interested  citizens  of  the 
State. 

i2D.  The  state  board  of  education  shall  prescribe,  with  and  on  the 
advice  of  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  rules  and  regulations,  also 
the  subjects  and  the  standards,  subject  to  the  provisions  of  sections  53,  54 
and  55  of  this  article,  for  the  certification  of  all  the  teachers  of  the  State, 
and  for  the  acceptance  of  the  diplomas  of  the  normal  schools,  colleges  and 
universities  of  Maryland,  as  well  as  of  other  states. 

i2E.  The  members  of  the  state  board  of  education  and  the  state 
superintendent  of  schools  shall  be  the  trustees  of  the  State  normal  schools, 
and  shall  have  power  to  maintain  and  shall  exercise  general  control  over 
these  schools. 

i2F.  The  state  board  of  education  shall  prescribe,  with  and  on  the 
advice  of  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  the  rules  and  regulations  for 
taking  a  biennial  school  census  of  all  children  within  the  State  between 
six  and  eighteen  years  of  age,  inclusive;  also  the  forms  and  blanks  to  be 
employed  in  taking  such  census  and  in  compiling  the  reports  thereon. 

13.  The  state  board  of  education  shall  prescribe,  with  and  on  the 
advice  of  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  a  uniform  series  of  forms 
or  blanks  for  the  use  of  county  boards  of  education,  school  officials,  and 
teachers,  and  shall  require  all  financial  accounts,  including  the  annual 
budget  and  all  educational  records,  to  be  kept  and  all  reports  to  be  made 
according  to  these  forms  or  blanks. 

17.  The  state  board  of  education  shall  require,  with  and  on  the  advice 
of  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  all  private  educational  associa- 
tions, corporations,  or  institutions  to  report  annually,  on  or  before  the 


APPENDIX  185 

thirty-first  day  of  August,  as  to  enrollment  and  courses  of  study  on  such 
forms  as  the  state  board  of  education  may  provide. 

iyA.  The  state  board  of  education  shall  conduct,  with  and  on  the 
advice  of  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  investigations  relating  to 
the  educational  needs  of  the  State  and  the  means  of  improving  educa- 
tional conditions;  they  may  employ  additional  expert  assistance  for  such 
investigations  if  needed,  and  appoint  special  agents  for  special  investiga- 
tions of  special  work. 

176.  The  state  board  of  education  shall  transmit  biennially  to  the 
Governor,  certified  to  by  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  an  annual 
state  public  school  budget  as  determined  by  existing  laws,  including  the 
appropriation  for  the  state  department  of  education,  the  maintenance  of 
the  state  normal  schools,  the  retired  teachers'  pensions,  state-aid  to 
approved  high  schools,  state-aid  to  approved  colored  industrial  schools, 
the  part  payment  of  the  salaries  of  county  superintendents  of  schools,  and 
of  one  supervisor  and  one  attendance  officer  in  each  of  the  counties  and 
the  superintendent,  one  supervisor  and  one  attendance  officer  in  the  City 
of  Baltimore,  the  free  text  book  fund,  materials  of  instruction  and  school 
supplies,  and  such  other  appropriations  for  special  educational  purposes 
as  may  from  time  to. time  be  made  by  the  General  Assembly,  and  an  esti- 
mate of  the  amount  that  will  remain,  after  all  deductions  for  special 
purposes  and  activities,  for  apportionment  to  the  counties  and  the  city 
of  Baltimore.  It  shall  also  be  the  duty  of  the  state  board  of  education, 
on  and  with  the  advice  of  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  to  prepare, 
from  time  to  time,  as  it  may  be  deemed  wise,  bills,  and  to  recommend  the 
same  to  the  Governor  and  the  General  Assembly,  providing  for  changes 
in  the  appropriation  for  special  educational  purposes  and  activities  and 
in  the  total  amount  raised  and  contributed  by  the  State  for  the  en- 
couragement and  support  of  public  education. 

i  yC.  The  state  board  of  education  shall  submit  each  year  on  or  before 
the  first  day  of  January,  to  the  Governor  an  annual  report  covering  all 
operations  of  the  State  department  of  education  and  the  support,  con- 
ditions, progress  and  needs  of  education  throughout  the  State.  Such 
annual  report  shall  be  printed  in  sufficient  quantities  for  general  dis- 
tribution throughout  the  State. 

iyD.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  state  board  of  education  to  consider 
the  educational  needs  of  the  State,  and  on  and  with  the  advice  of  the 


i86  APPENDIX 

state  superintendent  of  schools,  to  recommend  to  the  Governor  and  to 
the  General  Assembly,  such  additional  legislation,  or  changes  in  existing 
legislation,  as  may  be  deemed  desirable.  Such  recommendations  shall 
be  in  the  form  of  prepared  bills  and  shall  be  laid  before  the  Governor  and 
the  General  Assembly.  The  state  board  of  education  and  the  state  super- 
intendent of  schools  shall  be  given  a  hearing  on  the  same  by  the  com- 
mittees of  the  Senate  and  the  House  of  Delegates,  to  which  such  bills  are 
referred,  if  this  is  requested. 

lyE.  The  state  board  of  education  shall  perform  such  other  duties  as 
are  assigned  to  them  elsewhere  in  this  article,  or  may  be  assigned  to  them 
from  time  to  time  by  the  General  Assembly. 

CHAPTER  3A. 
The  State  Superintendent  of  Schools. 

18.  The  state  superintendent  of  schools  shall  be  appointed  by  the 
state  board  of  education  for  a  term  of  four  years  and  said  board  shall  fix 
his  salary  and  pay  same  from  the  appropriation  for  the  expenses  and 
maintenance  of  the  State  Department  of  Education.    He  shall  be  an 
experienced  and  competent  educator;  he  shall  be  a  graduate  of  a  stand- 
ard college,  or  the  equivalent,  have  had  not  less  than  two  years  of  special 
academic  and  professional  graduate  preparation  in  a  standard  university, 
or  the  equivalent,  and  not  less  than  seven  years  experience  in  teaching  and 
administration.     Provided,  that  these  qualifications  shall  not  apply  to 
the  present  incumbent  of  the  office,  nor  shall  they  affect  his  eligibility  for 
reappointment.    He  may  be  removed  by  the  Board  for  immorality,  mis- 
conduct in  office,  insubordination,  incompetency,  or  wilful  neglect  of 
duty,  upon  making  known  to  him,  in  writing,  the  charges  against  him,  and 
upon  giving  him  an  opportunity  of  being  heard  in  person  or  by  counsel,  in 
his  own  defense,  upon  not  less  than  ten  days'  notice.    In  case  of  vacancy 
due  to  any  cause,  the  state  board  of  education  shall  fill  the  vacancy,  and 
the  appointment  shall  be  for  the  unexpired  term,  and  until  a  successor 
shall  qualify. 

19.  The  state  superintendent  of  schools  shall  explain  the  true  intent 
and  meaning  of  the  school  laws  and  of  the  enacted  and  published  by-laws 
of  the  state  board  of  education.    He  shall  decide,  without  expense  to  the 
parties  concerned,  all  controversies  and  disputes,  involving  the  proper 


APPENDIX  187 

administration  of  the  public  school  system,  and  his  decision  shall  be 
final.  He  shall  have  authority  to  administer  oaths  and  to  examine 
under  oath,  in  any  part  of  the  State,  witnesses  in  any  matter  pertaining 
to  the  public  schools,  and  to  cause  the  examination  to  be  reduced  to 
writing.  Any  person,  who,  having  been  sworn  or  affirmed  by  him  to 
tell  the  truth,  and  who  wilfully  gives  false  testimony,  shall  be  guilty  of 
perjury. 

igA.  The  state  superintendent  of  schools  shall  enforce  all  the  provisions 
of  this  article  and  of  the  enacted  and  published  by-laws  of  the  state  board 
of  education.  He  is  empowered  to  cause  the  State  Comptroller,  through 
written  notification,  to  withhold,  in  case  of  violation  of  any  of  the  pro- 
visions of  this  article  or  of  the  by-laws  enacted  and  published  by  the 
state  board  of  education,  any  part  or  all  of  any  appropriation  made  by  the 
General  Assembly  to  any  educational  institution,  or  to  withhold  any  part 
or  all  of  any  payment  or  apportionment  from  the  general  State  school 
fund  to  county  school  boards. 

196.  The  state  superintendent  of  schools  shall  execute  the  educational 
policies  of  the  state  board  of  education.  He  shall  call  and  conduct  con- 
ferences of  county  school  boards,  district  school  trustees,  county  super- 
intendents, supervisors,  attendance  officers  and  teachers,  on  matters  re- 
lated to  the  condition,  needs  and  improvement  of  the  schools.  He  shall 
prepare  and  publish  such  pamphlets  as  will  stimulate  public  interest,  pro- 
mote the  work  of  education,  and  foster  in  teachers  professional  insight 
and  efficiency.  He  shall  receive  and  examine  all  the  reports  required 
under  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  state  board  of  education,  and  in 
person  or  through  his  assistants,  shall  examine  the  expenditures,  business 
methods,  and  accounts  of  county  school  boards  and  advise  them  on 
the  same. 

20.  The  state  superintendent  of  schools  shall,  subject  to  the  rules  and 
regulations  of  the  state  board  of  education,  pass  upon  all  proposals  for 
the  purchase  of  grounds,  school  sites  or  buildings,  or  for  the  sale  of  the 
same,  and  also  upon  all  plans  and  specifications  for  the  remodeling  of  old 
school  buildings  or  the  construction  of  new  school  buildings  costing  three 
hundred  dollars  ($300)  or  more.  In  case  the  construction  is  to  be  done 
by  the  county  board  itself,  it  shall  be  illegal  for  the  county  board  to  pro- 
ceed until  the  plans  and  specifications  shall  have  been  approved  in  writing 
by  the  state  superintendent  of  schools;  in  case  the  construction  is  to  be 


i88  APPENDIX 

done  by  contract,  the  contract  shall  be  invalid  without  the  written  ap- 
proval of  the  state  superintendent  of  schools. 

2oA.  The  state  superintendent  of  schools  shall  certificate,  subject  to 
the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  state  board  of  education  and  the  pro- 
visions of  sections  53,  54  and  55  of  this  article,  all  teachers  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  State. 

2oB.  The  state  superintendent  of  schools  shall  prepare,  or  cause  to  be 
prepared,  and  submit  for  approval  and  adoption  by  the  state  board  of 
education,  courses  of  study  for  the  different  grades  and  kinds  of  elemen- 
tary schools,  high  schools  and  normal  schools,  and  also  college  courses  for 
teachers. 

21.  The  state  superintendent  of  schools,  acting  under  the  rules  and 
regulations  of  the  state  board  of  education,  shall  be  responsible  for  the 
administration  of  the  state  department  of  education,  and  shall  have  gen- 
eral supervision  of  all  the  professional  and  clerical  assistants  of  the  de- 
partment. He  shall  nominate  to  the  state  board  of  education  all  the 
professional  and  clerical  assistants  of  the  department  and  may  recom- 
mend their  dismissal  for  immorality,  misconduct  in  office,  insubordi- 
nation, incompetency  or  wilful  neglect  of  duty.  But  the  qualification  of 
all  appointments,  their  tenure  and  compensation,  except  as  may  herein- 
after be  provided,  shall  be  determined  by  the  state  board  of  education. 

2 1 A.  The  state  department  of  education  shall  hereafter  be  provided 
with  the  following  professional  assistants.  Such  professional  assistants 
as  are  employed  at  the  time  this  section  shall  take  effect  shall  be  eligible 
for  reappointment  to  the  positions  which  they  now  hold: 

(1)  An  assistant  state  superintendent  of  schools,  who  shall  represent 
the  state  superintendent  of  schools  in  his  absence;  shall  have  charge  of 
the  office  of  the  department,  the  correspondence,  publications,  records, 
reports,  and  educational  and  financial  statistics;  shall  audit  the  accounts 
of  the  county  boards  of  education,  and  shall  perform  such  other  duties  as 
may  be  assigned  to  him  by  the  state  superintendent  of  schools. 

(2)  A  supervisor  of  high  schools,  who  shall  have  supervision  of  state- 
aided  high  schools,  shall  aid  the  instructors  in  all  other  schools  above  the 
seventh  grade,  and  shall  perform  such  other  duties  as  may  be  assigned  to 
him  by  the  state  superintendent  of  schools. 

(3)  A  supervisor  of  rural  schools,  who  shall  devote  his  energies  to 
helping  teachers,  superintendents  and  interested  citizens  to  formulate  a 


APPENDIX  189 

program  of  rural  education  adapted  to  the  specific  and  general  needs  of 
the  State,  and  who  shall  perform  such  other  duties  as  may  be  assigned 
to  him  by  the  state  superintendent  of  schools. 

(4)  A  white  supervisor  of  colored  schools,  who  shall  have  supervision 
of  all  colored  schools,  and  shall  perform  such  other  duties  as  may  be 
assigned  to  him  by  the  state  superintendent  of  schools. 

(5)  And  such  other  clerical  and  professional  assistants  and  agents  as 
may  be  authorized  by  the  state  board  of  education  within  the  limits  of  the 
appropriation  for  the  State  department  of  education. 

2iB.  The  state  superintendent  of  schools,  subject  to  the  rules  and 
regulations  of  the  state  board  of  education,  shall  direct  the  taking  of  .a 
biennial  school  census  of  all  the  children  in  the  State  between  the  ages  of 
6  and  18  years  inclusive,  to  be  taken  first  in  the  year  1918,  and  every  two 
years  thereafter,  and  he  may  cause  the  whole  or  any  part  of  the  school 
census  of  the  city  of  Baltimore  or  of  any  county  to  be  retaken  at  any 
time,  if  in  his  judgment,  the  whole  or  any  part  of  such  census  has  not  been 
properly  or  correctly  taken. 

2iC.  The  state  superintendent  of  schools  shall  prepare  or  cause  to  be 
prepared  the  annual  report  of  the  state  board  of  education  and  shall  sub- 
mit the  same  to  the  board  for  its  approval  and  adoption;  he  shall  also  pre- 
pare or  cause  to  be  prepared,  all  other  reports  which  are  or  may  be  re- 
quired of  this  board. 

2iD.  The  state  superintendent  of  schools  shall  perform  such  other 
duties  as  are  assigned  to  him  elsewhere  in  this  article,  or  may  be  assigned 
to  him  from  time  to  time  by  the  state  board  of  education. 

CHAPTER  4. 
County  Board  of  Education. 

22.  The  county  board  of  education  shall  hold  an  annual  meeting  each 
year  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  May,  or  as  near  as  possible  thereto  in 
May.  At  this  meeting  the  board  shall  elect  one  of  its  members  to  serve 
as  president  and  one  to  serve  as  vice-president.  Other  regular  meetings 
shall  be  held  at  least  once  in  each  school  term,  and  such  special  meetings 
may  be  held  as  the  duties  and  business  of  the  board  may  require.  The 
members  of  the  county  boards  of  education  shall  receive  no  salary,  but 
each  member  shall  receive  the  sum  of  one  hundred  dollars  annually  for 


190  APPENDIX 

traveling  and  other  expenses  incident  to  attending  the  meetings  and 
transacting  the  business  of  the  board  within  the  county. 

23.  The  county  board  of  education  are  hereby  declared  to  be  a  body 
politic  and  corporate  by  the  name  and  style  of  the  board  of  education  of 

county,  and  by  that  name  shall  have  perpetual 

succession,  and  shall  be  capable  to  sue  and  to  be  sued,  to  use  and  to  have 
a  common  seal,  and  the  same  at  their  pleasure  to  alter  or  break,  and  to 
exercise  all  the  powers  and  privileges  hereby  granted  to  or  vested  in  them. 

24.  All  the  property,  estate,  effects,  money,  funds,  claims  and  state 
donations  heretofore  vested  by  law  in  the  public  school  authorities  of  any 
county,  for  the  benefit  of  public,  primary,  free  or  high  schools,  are  trans- 
ferred to  and  vested  in  the  county  boards  of  education,  and  their  suc- 
cessors in  office.    The  county  boards  of  education  are  authorized,  em- 
powered, directed  and  required  to  maintain  a  uniform  and  effective  sys- 
tem of  public  schools  throughout  their  respective  counties.     Real  and 
personal  estate  granted,  conveyed,  devised  or  bequeathed  for  the  use  of 
any  particular  county  or  school  district  shall  be  held  in  trust  by  the  county 
board  of  education  for  the  benefit  of  such  county  or  school  district,  and 
such  grants  and  bequests  shall  be  exempt  from  all  State  and  county 
taxes.     Moneys  invested  in  trust  for  the  benefit  of  the  public  schools  of 
any  county  or  city  shall  be  exempt  from  State,  county  or  local  tax. 

25.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools  shall  be  the  executive 
officer,  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  county  board  of  education.    He 
shall  attend  all  meetings  of  the  board  and  of  its  committees,  except  when 
his  own  tenure,  salary,  or  the  administration  of  his  office  are  under  con- 
sideration, and  shall  have  the  right  to  advise  on  any  question  under  con- 
sideration, but  shall  have  no  right  to  vote. 

25A.  The  county  board  of  education  shall  to  the  best  of  its  ability 
cause  the  provisions  of  this  article,  the  by-laws,  and  the  policies  of  the 
state  board  of  education  to  be  carried  into  effect.  Subject  to  this  article, 
and  to  the  by-laws,  and  the  policies  of  the  state  board  of  education,  the 
county  board  of  education  shall  determine,  with  and  on  the  advice  of  the 
county  superintendent,  the  educational  policies  of  the  county  and  shall 
prescribe  rules  and  regulations  for  the  conduct  and  management  of  the 
schools. 

256.  The  county  board  of  education  shall  exercise,  through  its  execu- 
tive officers,  the  county  superintendent,  and  his  professional  assistants, 


APPENDIX  191 

control  and  supervision  over  the  public  school  system  of  the  county. 
The  board  shall  consult  and  advise,  through  its  executive  officer  and  his 
professional  assistants,  with  the  boards  of  district  trustees,  principals, 
teachers  and  interested  citizens,  and  shall  seek  in  every  way  to  promote 
the  interests  of  the  schools  under  their  jurisdiction. 

250.  The  county  board  of  education  shall  divide  the  county  into  ap- 
propriate school  districts,  shall  keep  full  records  of  the  boundaries  thereof 
and  shall  locate  and  maintain  schools,  as  needed,  within  each  district. 
They  are  authorized  and  empowered  with  the  approval  of  the  state  super- 
intendent of  schools,  to  purchase  grounds,  school  sites  or  buildings,  or  to 
sell  the  same;  to  rent,  repair,  improve  and  construct  school  buildings,  or 
approve  contracts  for  so  doing,  when  the  plans  conform  to  the  rules  and 
regulations  of  the  state  board  of  education,  and  are  approved  by  the  state 
superintendent  of  schools,  as  provided  for  in  section  20  of  this  article. 
They  shall  employ  an  architect  or  architects  on  the  recommendation  of 
the  county  superintendent  of  schools  to  assist  in  the  preparation  of  plans 
and  specifications  for  remodelling  old  buildings  and  for  constructing  new 
buildings.  They  may  sell,  with  the  approval  of  the  state  superintendent 
of  schools,  school  grounds,  school  sites  and  school  buildings  when  no 
longer  needed  for  educational  purposes. 

25D.  The  county  board  of  education  may  receive  donations  of  school 
grounds  or  school  sites,  or  of  houses  already  built  suitably  located  and 
adapted  to  school  purposes,  but  in  no  case  shall  any  site  be  built  upon, 
or  any  house  be  occupied,  until  a  good  and  sufficient  title  has  been 
obtained  for  the  same  in  the  corporate  name  of  the  Board. 

2$E.  When  lands  shall  be  required  for  the  site  of  a  schoolhouse,  or  for 
enlarging  a  schoolhouse  lot,  or  for  playgrounds  or  other  school  purposes, 
and  the  county  board  of  education  shall  for  any  cause  be  unable  to  con- 
tract with  the  owner  or  owners  thereof  upon  what  they  deem  to  be  a  fair 
valuation  thereof,  the  county  board  of  education  may  institute  proceed- 
ings for  the  acquisition  of  such  lands,  in  accordance  with  Chapter  463  of 
the  Acts  of  1914;  but  no  lot  so  taken  or  enlarged  shall  exceed,  in  the  whole, 
five  acres,  including  the  land  occupied  by  the  school  building. 

25F.  Schools  on  or  near  the  dividing  line  of  two  counties  shall  be  free 
to  the  children  of  each  county;  and  the  county  board  of  education  of  the 
respective  counties  shall  have  power  to  provide  jointly  for  the  mainten- 
ance of  said  schools. 


192  APPENDIX 

250.  The  county  boards  of  education  in  every  county  of  the  State 
shall  provide  sanitary,  hygienic,  suitable  and  convenient  water-closets 
or  outhouses  for  each  of  the  schools  under  their  official  jurisdiction,  not 
less  than  two  for  each  school  or  building,  when  both  sexes  are  in  attend- 
ance, in  their  respective  school  districts,  with  separate  means  of  access 
for  each;  and  unless  placed  at  a  remote  distance,  one  from  the  other,  the 
approaches  or  walks  thereto  shall  be  separated  by  a  substantial  close- 
fence,  not  less  than  seven  feet  high;  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said 
boards  to  make  provision  for  keeping  the  said  water-closets  or  outhouses 
in  a  clean,  comfortable,  sanitary  and  hygienic  condition.  Neglect  or 
failure  on  the  part  of  any  county  board  of  education  to  comply  with  the 
provisions  of  this  section  shall  constitute  cause  for  the  removal  of  its 
members,  as  provided  in  section  6  of  this  article. 

25!!.  The  county  board  of  education  shall  consolidate  schools  wher- 
ever in  their  judgment  it  is  practicable,  and  arrange,  when  possible  with- 
out charge  to  the  county,  and  shall  pay,  when  necessary,  for  the  trans- 
portation of  pupils  to  and  from  such  consolidated  schools. 

25!.  The  county  board  of  education  shall  purchase  and  distribute,  on 
the  written  recommendation  of  the  county  superintendent,  text-books, 
supplementary  readers,  materials  of  instruction,  stationery  and  school 
supplies,  school  furniture,  equipment  and  apparatus  needed  by  the  schools 
under  their  jurisdiction. 

2$J.  The  county  board  of  education  shall  appoint,  on  the  written 
recommendation  of  the  county  superintendent,  all  principals  and  assis- 
tant teachers,  and  fix  their  salaries,  subject  to  the  provisions  of  Chapter  8 
of  this  article.  The  county  board  may  suspend  or  dismiss  without  appeal 
any  teacher  so  appointed,  on  the  written  recommendation  of  the  county 
superintendent,  for  immorality,  misconduct  in  office,  insubordination,  in- 
competency,  or  wilful  neglect  of  duty,  provided  that  the  charges  be  stated 
in  writing,  and  that  the  teacher  be  given  an  opportunity  to  be  heard 
by  the  board  upon  not  less  than  ten  days'  notice;  provided  further  that 
in  all  cases  when  the  board  is  not  unanimous  in  its  decision  to  suspend  or 
dismiss,  the  right  of  appeal  shall  lie  to  the  state  superintendent  of  schools. 

25K.  The  county  board  of  education,  subject  to  the  provisions  of  this 
article,  the  by-laws,  courses  of  study  and  policies  of  the  state  board  of 
education,  shall  prescribe,  on  the  written  recommendation  of  the  county 
superintendent,  courses  of  study  for  the  schools  under  their  jurisdiction 


APPENDIX  193 

and  a  printed  copy  of  these  courses  of  study  shall  be  supplied  to  every 
teacher  and  to  every  interested  citizen  of  the  county. 

25!,.  The  county  board  of  education,  subject  to  the  provisions  of  this 
article,  and  the  by-laws  of  the  state  board  of  education,  shall,  on  the 
written  recommendation  of  the  county  superintendent,  grade  and 
standardize  all  the  schools  under  their  jurisdiction. 

25M.  The  county  board  of  education  shall,  subject  to  the  direction  of 
the  state  superintendent  of  schools  and  to  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the 
state  board  of  education,  cause  to  be  taken,  under  the  direction  of  the 
county  superintendent,  a  biennial  school  census  of  the  children  of  the 
county  between  the  ages  of  six  and  eighteen  years  inclusive,  to  be  taken 
first  in  the  year  1918,  and  every  two  years  thereafter;  and  the  county 
superintendent  shall  cause,  upon  the  direction,  at  any  time,  of  the  state 
superintendent  of  schools,  the  whole  or  any  part  of  any  school  census  of 
his  county  to  be  retaken. 

26.  The  county  board  of  education,  each  year,  beginning  with  the 
year  1916,  shall  prepare,  subject  to  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  state 
board  of  education  and  on  and  with  the  advice  of  the  county  superin- 
tendent, an  itemized  and  detailed  school  budget,  showing  the  amount  of 
money  needed  for  permanent  improvements  and  repairs,  and  for  current 
repairs,  furniture  for  old  buildings,  maintenance  and  support  of  the 
schools  during  the  succeeding  school  year,  also  the  estimated  total  amount 
that  will  be  received  from  the  state,  which  shall  be  used  for  paying 
teachers'  salaries  and  purchasing  text-books,  materials  of  instruction  and 
school  supplies;  and  finally  the  amount  that  will  be  needed  to  be  raised  by 
local  taxation.  This  annual  school  budget  shall  be  submitted  in  writing, 
not  less  than  twenty  days  before  the  usual  date  for  levying  county  taxes, 
to  the  board  of  county  commissioners;  at  the  same  time  a  copy  of  this 
annual  budget  shall  also  be  submitted  to  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners and  to  the  state  superintendent  of  schools.  The  board  of 
county  commissioners  are  hereby  authorized,  empowered,  directed  and 
required  to  levy  and  collect  such  tax  upon  the  assessable  property  of  the 
county  as  will  produce  the  amount  requested  to  be  raised  by  local  taxa- 
tion in  the  annual  budget  of  the  county  board  of  education.  The  amount 
requested  in  the  annual  budget  of  the  county  board  of  education  for  cur- 
rent repairs,  furniture  in  old  buildings,  maintenance  and  support  of  the 
schools,  for  the  succeeding  school  year,  and  to  be  raised  by  local  taxation 


194  APPENDIX 

shall  not  hereafter  in  any  year  be  less  than  a  minimum  tax,  levied  and  col- 
lected, of  34  cents  on  each  one  hundred  dollars  ($100)  of  the  assessable 
property  in  the  county.  Provided  that  if  in  any  county  the  tax  levied 
and  collected  for  the  school  year  ending  July  thirty- first,  1916,  for  current 
repairs,  furniture  in  old  buildings,  maintenance  and  support  of  the 
schools,  was  less  than  34  cents  on  each  one  hundred  dollars  ($100)  of 
assessable  property  in  the  county,  such  county  shall  only  be  required  to 
increase  its  total  tax  rate  for  the  schools  annually  by  2  cents  on  each  one 
hundred  dollars  ($100)  of  the  assessable  property  in  the  county,  until  the 
tax  levied  and  collected  for  current  repairs,  furniture  in  old  buildings, 
maintenance  and  support  of  the  schools  in  any  one  school  year,  shall  equal 
a  minimum  tax  levied  and  collected  of  34  cents  on  each  one  hundred 
dollars  ($100)  of  the  assessable  property  of  the  county.  Provided,  fur- 
ther, that  the  total  amount  requested  for  any  one  school  year  by  the 
county  board  of  education  for  permanent  improvements  and  repairs, 
current  repairs,  furniture  in  old  buildings,  maintenance  and  support  of 
the  schools  shall  not  exceed  a  tax  levied  and  collected  of  40  cents  on  each 
one  hundred  dollars  ($100)  of  the  assessable  property  in  the  county, 
unless  the  board  of  county  commissioners  shall  approve  and  sanction  such 
additional  tax.  Provided  also  that  if  the  total  amount  requested  for  any 
one  school  year  by  the  county  board  of  education  to  be  raised  by  local 
taxation  exceeds  a  tax,  levied  and  collected  of  40  cents  on  each  one  hun- 
dred dollars  ($100)  of  the  assessable  property,  in  the  county  and  such  ad- 
ditional tax  is  not  approved  and  sanctioned  by  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners, the  county  commissioners  shall  indicate  in  writing  what  item 
or  items  of  the  annual  budget  of  the  county  board  of  education  have 
been  denied  in  whole  or  in  part,  and  the  reason  for  the  denial  in  whole  or 
in  part  of  the  respective  items.  Taxes  so  levied  and  collected  shall  be 
separately  indicated  on  tax  bills  and  tax  receipts,  and  shall  be  known 
as  the  County  School  Tax.  Taxes  so  levied  shall  be  collected  as  other 
taxes  and  shall  be  paid  monthly  to  the  treasurer  of  the  county  board  of 
education  in  as  nearly  equal  amounts  as  possible,  beginning  on  or  before 
the  tenth  of  October  of  each  year  and  continuing  up  to  and  including 
June;  provided  that  taxes  levied  and  collected  for  permanent  improve- 
ments and  repairs  or  special  purposes  may  be  required  to  be  paid  oftener, 
upon  the  order  of  the  president  and  secretary  of  the  county  board  of 
education  to  the  board  of  county  commissioners.  All  taxes  received  by 


APPENDIX  195 

the  county  board  of  education  shall  be  expended  by  them  in  accordance 
with  the  items  of  their  annual  budget.  Any  sum  of  money  which  may 
have  been  specially  levied  and  collected  on  any  election  or  schoolhouse 
district  for  the  educational  purposes  connected  with  such  district  shall  be 
collected  for  and  applied  to  the  purpose  so  intended  originally  and  shall 
be  used  for  no  other  purpose;  and  if  said  funds  have  been  used  otherwise, 
they  shall  be  returned  and  applied  as  aforesaid. 

27.  Each  county  board  of  education  shall  hereafter  provide  for  at 
least  an  annual  audit  of  its  business  and  financial  transactions  and  of  the 
accounts  of  its  treasurer  by  an  accountant  or  accountants,  approved  by 
the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  and  the  results  of  this  audit  shall  be 
made  public  by  the  county  board  of  education. 

28.  Each  county  board  of  education  and  the  Board  of  School  Com- 
missioners of  the  city  of  Baltimore  shall  make  all  the  reports  required  by 
the  state  board  of  education,  and  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  at 
such  times,  upon  such  items,  and  in  such  form  and  on  such  blanks  as  may 
be  prescribed  by  the  state  board  of  education  and  the  state  superinten- 
dent of  schools. 

29.  Each  county  board  of  education  shall  cause  to  be  prepared  and 
published  annually,  in  the  month  of  November,  in  sufficient  quantities 
for  distribution  among  the  citizens  of  the  county,  an  annual  report 
addressed  to  the  people  of  the  county,  covering  the  condition,  current 
accomplishments  and  needs  for  the  improvement  of  the  schools,  also  a 
statement  of  the  business  and  financial  transactions  of  the  board. 

CHAPTER  4A. 
The  County  Superintendent  of  Schools 

72.  The  county  board  of  education  of  each  county  shall  appoint 
during  the  month  of  May  a  superintendent  of  schools  for  a  term  of  four 
years,  from  the  first  day  of  August  next  succeeding  his  appointment,  and 
he  shall  hold  office  until  his  successor  qualifies.  No  person  shall  be 
eligible  for  appointment  to  the  office  of  county  superintendent  of  schools 
who  does  not  hold  from  the  state  superintendent  of  schools  a  certificate  in 
administration  and  supervision  as  provided  for  in  section  55  of  this  article, 
nor  shall  the  appointment  of  any  person  by  the  county  board  of  education 
to  the  position  of  county  superintendent  of  schools  be  valid  without  the 


196  APPENDIX 

written  approval  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Schools.  Provided  that 
all  county  superintendents  of  schools  holding  office  at  the  tune  when  this 
act  shall  take  effect,  shall  continue  to  serve  to  the  end  of  the  term  for 
which  they  were  originally  appointed,  and  until  their  successors  qualify, 
unless  removed,  as  hereinafter  provided,  and  shall  also  be  eligible  for  re- 
appointment;  and  provided,  further,  that  all  county  superintendents  of 
schools  shall  be  paid,  beginning  with  the  school  year  1916-1917,  on  the 
basis  of  the  salaries  hereinafter  specified.  The  salary  of  the  county 
superintendent  of  schools  shall  not  be  diminished  during  his  term  of 
office.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools  shall  devote  his  entire 
time  to  public  school  business  and  shall  receive  such  compensation  as  the 
county  board  of  education  shall  direct,  provided  that  no  county  superin- 
tendent of  schools  appointed  to  office  under  the  provisions  of  this  section, 
or  continuing  in  office  under  the  provisions  of  this  section,  shall  be  paid  an 
annual  salary  of  less  than  eighteen  hundred  ($1,800)  dollars,  and  the 
State  of  Maryland  shall,  as  hereinafter  provided,  pay  out  of  the  General 
State  School  Fund  to  the  treasurer  of  the  county  board  of  education,  one- 
half  of  the  annual  salary  of  the  county  superintendent  of  schools,  up  to 
and  including  an  annual  salary  of  three  thousand  ($3,000)  dollars.  County 
boards  of  education  may,  in  their  discretion,  pay  to  a  county  superinten- 
dent an  annual  salary  in  excess  of  three  thousand  ($3,000)  dollars,  but 
the  State  shall  not  share  in  the  part  payment  of  said  excess.  The  State 
superintendent  of  schools  may  remove  any  county  superintendent  of 
schools  appointed  under  the  provisions  of  this  section  or  continuing  in 
office  under  the  provisions  of  this  section,  for  immorality,  misconduct  in 
office,  insubordination,  incompetency,  or  wilful  neglect  of  duty,  upon 
making  known  to  him,  in  writing,  the  charges  against  him,  and  upon 
giving  to  him  an  opportunity  of  being  heard,  in  person  or  by  counsel,  in 
his  own  defense,  upon  not  less  than  ten  days'  notice.  In  case  of  vacancy 
due  to  any  cause,  the  county  board  of  education  shall  fill  the  vacancy  and 
the  appointment  shall  be  for  a  full  term  of  four  years,  and  until  a  succes- 
sor shall  qualify. 

72A.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools,  as  the  executive  officer  of 
the  county  board  of  education,  shall  see  that  the  laws  relating  to  the 
schools,  the  enacted  and  published  by-laws  and  the  policies  of  the  State 
board  of  education  and  the  rules  and  regulations  and  the  policies  of  the 
county  board  of  education  are  carried  into  effect. 


APPENDIX  197 

726.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools  shall  explain  the  true  in- 
tent and  meaning  of  the  school  laws,  and  of  the  by-laws  of  the  State  board 
of  education,  subject  to  the  approval  in  writing  of  the  state  superintendent 
of  schools;  he  shall  decide,  without  expense  to  the  parties  concerned,  all 
controversies  and  disputes  involving  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the 
county  board  of  education  and  the  proper  administration  of  the  public 
school  system  in  the  county,  and  his  decision  shall  be  final,  except  that  an 
appeal  may  be  had  to  the  State  superintendent  of  schools  if  taken  hi 
writing  within  thirty  days.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools  shall 
have  authority  to  administer  oaths  and  to  examine  under  oath,  in  any 
part  of  the  county,  witnesses  in  any  matter  pertaining  to  the  public 
schools  of  the  county,  and  to  cause  the  examination  to  be  reduced  to 
writing.  Any  person,  who,  having  been  sworn  or  affirmed  by  him  to  tell 
the  truth,  and  who  wilfully  gives  false  testimony,  shall  be  guilty  of 
perjury. 

72C.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools  shall  recommend  for 
condemnation  school  buildings  which  are  unsanitary  and  unfit  for  use;  he 
shall  recommend  all  repairs,  the  purchase  of  grounds,  school  sites  and 
buildings,  or  the  sale  of  the  same,  and  shall  prepare  or  cause  to  be  pre- 
pared all  plans  and  specifications  for  the  remodelling  of  old  buildings,  and 
the  construction  of  new  buildings,  subject  to  the  provisions  of  section  20 
of  this  article;  and  he  shall  recommend,  in  his  discretion,  to  the  county 
board  of  education,  an  architect  or  architects  to  assist  in  the  preparation 
of  the  plans  and  specifications  for  remodelling  old  buildings  or  the  con- 
struction of  new  buildings,  and  shall  supervise  such  remodelling  and  con- 
struction. He  shall  approve  in  writing  all  contracts  of  whatever  kind 
entered  into  by  the  county  board  of  education,  and  no  contract  entered 
into  by  the  county  board  of  education  shall  be  valid  without  the  written 
approval  of  the  county  superintendent  of  schools. 

7 2D.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools  shall  be  the  representative 
of  the  state  superintendent  of  schools  in  all  state  examinations  for 
teachers'  certificates  conducted  within  the  county,  and  shall  perform  such 
duties  in  connection  therewith  as  may  be  required  by  the  state  superin- 
tendent of  schools.  He  may  issue,  without  charge,  provisional  certifi- 
cates to  teachers,  subject  to  'the  provisions  of  Chapter  8  of  this  article. 

72E.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools  shall  nominate,  for  ap- 
pointment by  the  county  board  of  education,  all  principals  and  all 


i98  APPENDIX 

assistant  teachers,  shall  assign  them  to  their  positions  in  the  schools, 
transfer  them  as  the  needs  of  the  schools  require,  recommend  them  for 
promotion,  suspend  them  for  cause  and  recommend  them  for  dismissal. 

72F.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools  shall  organize  and  attend 
county  and  local  institutes  for  teachers  and  citizens,  shall  organize  and 
direct  the  work  of  reading  centers  of  the  county,  advise  teachers  as  to 
their  further  study  and  professional  reading,  and  assist  parents  and 
citizens  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  aims  and  work  of  the  schools. 

720.  The  county  superintendent  shall  visit  the  schools,  observe  the 
management  and  instruction  and  give  suggestions  for  the  improvement  of 
the  same.  He  shall  advise  with  principals  and  teachers,  counsel  district 
trustees,  and  shall  labor  in  every  way  to  awaken  public  interest  and  to 
improve  educational  conditions  within  the  county. 

72H.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools  shall  grade  and  standard- 
ize, subject  to  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  state  board  of  education,  all 
the  public  schools  of  the  county,  and  shall  recommend  the  same  for  ap- 
proval to  the  county  board  of  education. 

72!.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools  shall  prepare  courses  of 
study,  subject  to  the  rules  and  regulations  and  the  courses  of  study  of  the 
state  board  of  education,  for  the  public  schools  of  the  county,  and  shall 
recommend  the  same  for  adoption  by  the  county  board  of  education. 

72j.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools  shall  prepare  lists  of  such 
text-books,  supplementary  readers,  materials  of  instruction,  stationery 
and  school  supplies,  school  furniture,  equipment  and  apparatus,  as  are 
needed  by  the  schools,  and  shall  recommend  the  purchase  and  distri- 
bution of  the  same  by  the  county  board  of  education. 

73.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools,  acting  under  the  rules  and 
regulations  of  the  county  board  of  education,  shall  be  responsible  for  the 
administration  of  the  office  of  the  county  superintendent  of  schools.  He 
shall  nominate,  for  appointment  by  the  county  board  of  education,  all  the 
professional,  clerical,  statistical  and  stenographic  assistants  of  the  office; 
he  shall  recommend  their  removal  for  immorality,  misconduct  in  office, 
incompetency,  insubordination  or  wilful  neglect  of  duty,  and  he  shall  see 
that  all  regular  appointees  of  the  county  board  of  education  devote  their 
entire  time  to  their  duties.  But  the  qualifications  of  all  appointments, 
their  tenure  and  compensation,  except  as  may  hereinafter  be  provided, 
shall  be  determined  by  the  county  board  of  education.  The  office  of  the 


APPENDIX  199 

county  superintendent  of  schools  shall,  beginning  with  the  school  year, 
1916-1917,  be  provided  as  follows  with  professional,  clerical,  statistical 
and  stenographic  assistants;  provided  that  all  professional,  clerical, 
statistical  and  stenographic  assistants  holding  office  at  the  time  of  the 
enactment  of  this  section  shall  continue  to  serve  to  the  end  of  the  terms 
for  which  they  were  originally  appointed,  and  until  their  successors 
qualify,  unless  removed  as  herein  provided;  and  provided  further  that 
they_shall  be  paid,  beginning  with  the  school  year  1916-1917,  on  the 
basis  of  the  salaries  herein  specified: 

(1)  In  each  county  employing  not  less  than  one  hundred  (100) 
teachers,  there  shall  be  appointed  at  least  one  primary  grade  supervisor, 
who  shall  receive  such  compensation  as  the  county  board  of  education 
shall  direct;  provided  that  no  person  shall  be  eligible  for  appointment  as  a 
supervisor  who  does  not  hold  from  the  superintendent  of  public  education 
a  certificate  in  supervision  as  provided  for  in  section  55  of  this  article; 
nor  shall  the  appointment  of  any  person  by  a  county  board  of  education 
as  a  supervisor  be  valid  without  the  written  approval  of  the  state  super- 
intendent of  schools.    And  provided  further,  that  no  supervisor,  ap- 
pointed under  the  provisions  of  this  section  or  continued  in  office  under 
the  provisions  of  this  section,  shall  be  paid  an  annual  salary  of  less  than 
twelve  hundred  ($1,200)  dollars,  and  the  State  of  Maryland  shall  pay, 
as  hereinafter  provided,  out  of  the  General  State  School  Fund  to  the 
treasurer  of  the  county  school  board,  one-half  of  the  annual  salary  of  one 
primary  grade  supervisor  up  to  and  including  an  annual  salary  of  two 
thousand  ($2,000)   dollars.     County  boards  of  education  are  free  to 
employ  as  many  additional  supervisors  as  in  their  judgment  are  necessary, 
but  the  State  shall  not  share  in  the  payment  of  their  salaries.     Provided 
that  in  counties  employing  less  than  one  hundred  (100)  teachers,  the 
county  board  of  education  may  employ  at  least  one  primary  grade 
supervisor,  subject  to  and  under  the  foregoing  conditions.    Provided 
further,  that  two  counties,  each  employing  less  than  one  hundred  (100) 
teachers  may  join,  with  the  approval  of  the  state  superintendent  of 
schools  in  the  employment  of  at  least  one  primary  grade  supervisor,  sub- 
ject to  and  under  the  foregoing  conditions. 

(2)  There  shall  be  appointed  in  each  county  at  least  one  attendance 
officer,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  compel  the  regular  attendance  of  children 
at  school.    Such  person  shall  receive  such  compensation  as  the  county 


200  APPENDIX 

board  of  education  shall  direct;  provided  that  the  appointment  of  any 
person  as  an  attendance  officer  shall  be  invalid  without  the  written  ap- 
proval of  the  state  superintendent  of  schools.  And  provided  further, 
that  no  attendance  officer,  appointed  under  the  provisions  of  this  section 
or  continued  in  office  under  the  provisions  of  this  section,  shall  be  paid  an 
annual  salary  of  less  than  six  hundred  ($600)  dollars,  and  the  State  of 
Maryland  shall  pay,  as  hereinafter  provided,  out  of  the  General  State 
School  Fund  to  the  treasurer  of  the  county  board  of  education,  one-half 
of  the  annual  salary  of  one  attendance  officer,  up  to  and  including  an 
annual  salary  of  twelve  hundred  ($1,200)  dollars.  County  boards  of 
education  are  free  to  employ  as  many  additional  attendance  officers  as  in 
their  judgment  are  necessary,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  state  super- 
intendent of  schools,  but  the  State  shall  not  share  in  the  payment  of 
their  salaries. 

(3)  There  shall  be  employed  in  each  county  at  least  one  statistical 
and  stenographic  clerk. 

(4)  And  such  other  clerical,  statistical  and  stenographic  assistants, 
and  such  other  professional  assistants,  assistant  superintendents,  super- 
visors, attendance  officers,  medical  inspectors  and  school  nurses  as  the 
county  board  of  education  shall  authorize;  provided  that  no  professional 
assistant  shall  be  appointed  who  does  not  hold  the  appropriate  certificate 
issued  by  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  and  the  appointment  of  no 
professional  assistant  shall  be  valid  without  the  written  approval  of  the 
state  superintendent  of  schools. 

74.  The  county  board  of  education  shall  provide  the  office  of  the 
county  superintendent  of  schools  with  ample,  convenient  and  comfort- 
able quarters,  and  with  adequate  clerical  equipment;  a^id  the  county 
superintendent  of  schools  and  his  professional  assistants  shall  be  provided 
with  such  means  of  transportation  as  are  necessary  for  the  effective  and 
efficient  performance  of  their  official  duties.    They  shall  be  reimbursed 
for  all  actual  and  necessary  traveling  and  other  expenses  and  disburse- 
ments incurred  or  made  by  them  in  the  performance  of  their  official 
duties,  and  no  part  of  the  traveling  or  personal  expenses  of  the  county 
superintendent  and  his  professional  assistants  incurred  in  the  perform- 
ance of  their  official  duties  shall  be  included  in,  or  counted  as  a  part  of, 
their  annual  salary. 

75.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools  shall  direct  the  taking  of  the 


APPENDIX  201 

biennial  school  census  provided  for  in  sections  2iB  and  2$M  of  this 
article. 

76.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools  shall  take  the  initiative  hi 
the  preparation  and  presentation  of  the  annual  school  budget,  and  shall 
in  every  way  seek  to  secure  adequate  funds  from  the  local  authorities  for 
the  support  and  development  of  the  public  schools  of  the  county. 

77.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools,  acting  as  the  executive 
officer  of  the  county  board  of  education,  shall  conduct  all  correspondence, 
receive  all  reports  from  the  board  of  district  trustees,  principals,  and 
teachers,  and  shall  see  that  all  reports  are  properly  made  and  submitted. 
He  shall  prepare,  or  cause  to  be  prepared,  and  submit  to  the  county  board 
of  education  for  adoption,  all  reports  required  of  that  board  by  the  state 
board  of  education  or  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  and  he  shall 
prepare,  or  cause  to  be  prepared,  and  submit  for  approval,  to  the  county 
board  of  education,  the  annual  report  addressed  to  the  people  of  the 
county,  provided  for  in  section  29  of  this  article. 

78.  The  county  superintendent  of  schools,  as  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  county  board  of  education,  shall  give  bond  to  the  State  of  Mary- 
land in  such  penal  sum  as  the  board  shall  determine.     Said  bond  shall 
have  the  security  of  any  guaranty,  deposit,  trust  or  other  similar  com- 
pany duly  authorized  under  the  laws  of  Maryland  to  act  in  such  capacity. 
The  cost  or  fee  for  such  security  shall  be  paid  by  the  county  board  of 
education,  and  said  bond,  when  executed,  shall  be  filed  in  the  office  of  the 
clerk  of  the  court  of  the  county.    The  bond  shall  provide  that  the  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  will  faithfully  perform  the  duties  of  the  office  and  pay 
over  and  apply  all  moneys  that  shall  come  to  his  hand  or  care  as  treasurer 
to  such  persons  and  in  such  manner  as  said  board  may,  under  the  pro- 
visions of  this  article,  direct,  and  that  he  will  keep  a  full  account  of  all 
moneys  received  and  paid  by  him,  and  all  matters  relating  to  the  duties 
of  his  office  and  preserve  the  same,  and  all  vouchers  relating  thereto,  and 
deliver  up  all  books  and  vouchers  relating  to  his  office  to  his  successor. 

-    CHAPTER  V. 
The  District  Board  of  School  Trustees. 

31.    Every  district  board  of  school  trustees  shall  hold  an  annual  meet- 
ing each  year  on  the  third  Saturday  in  May,  or  as  soon  thereafter  in  May, 


202  APPENDIX 

as  possible.  At  this  meeting  the  Board  shall  each  year  appoint  one  of 
its  members  as  Chairman,  and  shall  give  notice  of  such  appointment  to 
the  secretary  of  the  county  board  of  education.  Other  regular  meetings 
shall  be  held  at  least  once  each  school  term,  and  such  special  meetings 
shall  be  held  as  the  duties  and  business  of  the  board  shall  require.  The 
principal  teacher  of  the  district  school  shall  be  the  secretary,  and  shall 
attend  all  meetings  of  the  board;  shall  have  the  right  to  speak  upon  all 
questions,  but  no  right  to  vote;  shall  prepare  for  adoption  all  reports  re- 
quired by  the  county  board  of  education;  shall  keep  all  records  and  ac- 
counts; shall  keep  the  minutes  of  the  meetings  of  the  board  in  a  record 
book  provided  by  the  county  board  of  education,  and  shall  conduct  the 
correspondence  of  the  board. 

3iA.  The  board  of  district  school  trustees  shall  have  the  care  of  the 
buildings  and  land  connected  therewith  intended  for  school  purposes, 
also  the  school  apparatus  and  other  school  property.  They  shall  attend 
to  all  incidental  repairs  and  charge  the  cost  among  the  incidental  ex- 
penses of  the  school,  to  be  paid  out  of  the  taxes  levied  upon  the  assessable 
property  of  the  county  as  provided  for  in  section  26  of  this  article.  Pro- 
vided that  when  repairs  are  to  be  paid  out  of  county  school  taxes,  the 
amount  to  be  so  expended  shall  be  approved  by  the  county  superinten- 
dent of  schools  and  authorized  by  the  county  board  of  education,  before 
the  repairs  are  made. 

316.  The  district  board  of  school  trustees  shall  visit  the  schools,  ad- 
vise the  teachers  on  questions  of  discipline,  and  shall  seek  in  every  way  to 
develop  public  sentiment  in  support  of  the  schools.  In  case  of  dis- 
satisfaction, they  may  file,  with  the  county  board  of  education,  written 
charges  requesting  the  removal  of  the  principal  teacher. 

32.  The  district  board  of  school  trustees  shall  see  that  the  water 
closets  or  outhouses  connected  with  the  school  are  kept  clean,  comfort- 
able and  in  a  sanitary  and  hygienic  condition. 

34.  No  school  house  shall  be  used  for  any  other  purpose  than  public 
school  purposes  and  school  district  meetings  unless  by  consent  of  the 
county  board  of  education;  provided,  however,  whenever  an  application 
is  made  to  the  district  board  of  school  trustees,  signed  by  twenty-five 
citizens  in  the  school  district  where  the  said  school  is  situated,  requesting 
the  use  of  the  school  building  for  a  non-partisan  gathering  of  citizens  for 
the  presentation  and  discussion  of  public  questions  or  for  other  civic, 


APPENDIX  203 

social  or  recreational  activities,  the  said  school  authorities  shall  allow  the 
free  use  of  such  school  building  or  grounds  of  same  for  the  purposes 
enumerated  above;  provided,  however,  said  meetings  shall  be  held  during 
those  hours  when  the  school  buildings  are  not  being  used  for  their  princi- 
pal purpose. 

34A.  When  the  citizens  of  any  community  are  organized  into  a  non- 
partisan,  non-sectarian,  non-exclusive  association  for  the  presentation 
and  discussion  of  public  questions,  such  organizations,  upon  request  to 
the  county  board  or  the  trustees  of  any  school,  may,  in  the  discretion  of 
the  said  authorities,  have  the  free  use  of  any  school  building  in  this  State, 
for  weekly,  bi-weekly,  or  monthly  gatherings,  or  at  such  times  as  the 
citizens'  organization  shall  request  or  designate;  provided,  however,  said 
meetings  shall  be  held  during  those  hours  when  the  school  buildings  are 
not  being  used  for  their  principal  purpose. 

34B.  The  trustees  of  any  schools,  or  the  county  board  of  education 
may  provide  for  the  free  and  gratuitous  use  of  school  houses  for  such 
other  civic,  social  and  recreational  activities,  as  in  their  opinion  do  not 
interfere  with  the  principal  use  of  the  said  school  buildings  or  properties. 

34.C.  The  person  or  persons  making  application  for  the  use  of  a 
school  house  for  a  public  meeting,  shall  be  responsible  for  all  damage  to 
the  property  occurring  at  such  meeting,  ordinary  wear  and  tear  excepted, 
and  upon  failure  of  the  person  or  persons  to  respond  in  damages  for  any 
such  injury  to  the  property,  the  county  board  of  education  or  the  dis- 
trict board  of  school  trustees  in  charge  of  the  school  house,  may  refuse  all 
future  applications  for  the  wider  use  of  the  property  until  such  injury  is 
repaired,  without  expense  to  the  board  in  charge  of  the  property.  It  shall 
be  the  duty  of  the  person  or  persons  making  application  for  the  use  of  a 
school  house  for  a  public  meeting  place,  to  place  the  said  school  house 
after  said  meeting  in  as  clean  a  condition  as  it  was  before  said  meeting, 
and  any  failure  upon  the  part  of  said  person  or  persons,  to  whom  per- 
mission has  been  granted  to  hold  a  meeting,  to  place  said  school  house 
after  said  meeting  in  as  clean  a  condition  as  it  was  when  said  school  house 
was  turned  over  to  said  person  or  persons  for  said  meeting,  will  warrant 
said  school  authorities  in  refusing  to  allow  any  further  use  of  said  school 
house  to  the  same  parties. 

35.  No  new  school  house  district  shall  be  formed  containing  less  than 
fifty  children  between  the  ages  of  6  and  14  years;  nor  shall  any  new  school 


204  APPENDIX 

house  district  be  formed  if  any  one  of  the  old  districts  affected  has,  after 
the  formation  of  the  new  school  house  district,  less  than  fifty  children  be- 
tween the  ages  of  6  and  14  years,  except  in  such  unusual  instances  as  may 
be  approved  by  the  state  superintendent  of  schools. 

CHAPTER  7. 
Schools. 

42.  The  schools  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  county  board  of  educa- 
tion shall  be  numbered,  No.  i,  2,  3  and  so  forth,  of  their  respective 
election  districts. 

43.  Elementary  schools  shall  be  kept  open  for  not  less  than  one 
hundred  and  eighty  (180)  actual  school  days  and  for  ten  months  in  each 
year,  if  possible,  and  shall  be  free  to  all  white  youths,  between  six  and 
twenty  years  of  age. 

44.  In  every  elementary  school  there  shall  be  taught  good  behavior, 
reading,  spelling,  penmanship,  arithmetic,  oral  and  written   English, 
geography,  history  of  the  United  States  and  of  Maryland,  community 
civics,  hygiene  and  sanitation,  and  such  other  branches  as  the  State 
Board  of  Education  may  from  time  to  time  prescribe. 

47.  Whenever  a  school  numbers  more  than  forty  children  in  average 
attendance,  an  assistant  may  be  employed  by  the  county  board  of  educa- 
tion, in  their  discretion;  and  for  every  additional  forty  children,  one 
teacher  may  be  appointed. 

48.  Whenever  the  average  daily  attendance  in  any  school  for  any 
two  consecutive  terms  is  less  than  12  pupils  the  said  school  may  be  closed 
by  the  county  board  of  education,  and  transportation  provided,  in  the 
discretion  of  the  board,  for  the  pupils. 

49.  There  shall  be  held  in  each  school,  once  a  year,  a  public  exhibition 
of  school  work,  of  which  due  notice  shall  be  given,  that  parents  and 
others  interested  in  education  may  attend. 

50.  Schools  shall  be  kept  open  each  weekday,  except  Saturday  and 
holidays,  for  six  hours. 

52.  The  school  year  shall  be  divided  into  four  terms,  which  shall  be 
designated  fall  term,  winter  term,  spring  term,  and  summer  term;  and  the 
time  of  beginning  and  closing  each  term  shall  be  regulated  by  the  county 
board  of  education;  provided  that  the  financial  reports  of  the  schools  of 


APPENDIX  205 

the  State  shall  be  made  up  and  rendered  to  the  thirty-first  day  of  July, 
inclusive,  of  each  and  every  year;  and  provided,  further,  that  there  shall 
be  no  change  in  or  encroachment  upon  the  holidays  and  vacation  set 
forth  and  established  in  the  following  paragraph: 

The  months  of  July  and  August  shall  be  vacation  throughout  the  whole 
State,  and  the  following  days  shall  be  holidays,  viz:  Thanksgiving  Day, 
and  the  day  after;  from  Christmas  Eve  to  the  first  day  of  January,  in- 
clusive; and  from  the  Friday  before  Easter  to  the  Monday  after  Easter, 
inclusive.  On  Washington's  Birthday  the  schools  shall  devote  a  portion 
of  the  day  to  exercises  bearing  on  the  life  and  services  of  "The  Father  of 
Our  Country."  Maryland  Day,  Arbor  Day  and  Memorial  Day  shall  be 
observed  at  such  a  time  and  in  such  manner  as  the  state  board  of  educa- 
tion may  direct. 

CHAPTER  8. 
Teachers'  Certificates,  Salaries  and  Pensions. 

53.  No  person  shall  be  employed  as  county  superintendent,  assistant 
superintendent,  supervisor,  principal  or  teacher  unless  such  person  shall 
hold  a  certificate  issued  by  the  superintendent  of  public  education  and  for 
the  grade  required  for  the  position,  but  any  county  of  the  State  may  re- 
quire as  a  condition  of  employment  a  higher  standard  for  a  certificate  of  a 
similar  kind  and  grade  than  is  required  by  the  State.  Provided  that  all 
teachers'  certificates  and  diplomas  in  force  at  the  time  this  section  goes 
into  effect  shall  continue  in  force  for  the  full  time  for  which  they  were 
issued  or  are  valid,  and  shall  remain  valid  for  the  grade  and  position  for 
which  issued.  Provided,  that  no  renewal  or  extension  of  such  certificates 
shall  be  granted  under  this  section  by  the  State  superintendent  of  schools, 
nor  shall  the  renewal  or  extension  of  any  certificate  by  a  county  superin- 
tendent expiring  between  the  time  this  section  goes  into  effect  and  Sep- 
tember the  thirtieth,  1916,  be  for  more  than  one  year.  Provided  also 
that  no  certificate  issued  by  a  county  superintendent  of  schools  between 
the  tune  this  section  goes  into  effect  and  September  thirtieth,  1916,  shall 
be  valid  for  more  than  one  year.  Provided  further  that  no  certificate 
heretofore  issued  shall  be  valid  after  this  section  goes  into  effect,  for  ap- 
pointment to  the  position  of  county  superintendent,  assistant  superin- 
tendent, supervisor,  high  school  principal  or  elementary  school  principal 


2o6  APPENDIX 

in  elementary  schools  having  three  or  more  teachers,  including  the  prin- 
cipal, except  in  case  of  persons  holding  the  foregoing  positions  at  the 
time  this  section  goes  into  effect,  and  then  valid  only  for  the  particular 
position  they  are  then  holding  and  in  the  particular  county. 

54.  The  examination  and  certification  of  teachers,  after  September 
thirtieth,  1916,  shall  be  a  state  function,  and  all  examinations  for 
teachers'  certificates  shall  be  on  uniform  questions  prepared  and  sent  out 
by  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  either  in  person  or  through  his 
assistants.   All  examination  papers  shall  be  forwarded  to,  read  and  graded 
by  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  either  in  person  or  by  his  assis- 
tants.   The  county  superintendent  shall  render  such  assistance  in  con- 
ducting examinations  as  may  be  required  by  the   superintendent   of 
public  education.     All  details  connected  with  examinations  for  teachers' 
certificates,  the  renewal  of  the  same,  the  granting  of  such  on  certificates 
or  diplomas,  and  the  conditions  under  which  certificates,  diplomas  and 
degrees  of  institutions  of  the  State  of  Maryland  and  of  other  states  will 
be  recognized,  not  provided  for  in  this  article,  shall  be  determined,  sub- 
ject to  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  state  board  of  education,  by  the 
state  superintendent  of  schools.     He  shall  issue  a  bulletin  containing  full 
information  of  the  time  and  place,  the  number  and  kinds  of  examinations, 
the  rules  and  regulations  controlling  examinations,  and  the  issuance  of 
certificates  on  credentials  or  diplomas. 

55.  The  certificates  hereafter  to  be  granted  shall  be: 

(1)  A  certificate  in  administration  and  supervision,  valid  throughout 
the  State  for  three  years,  renewable  on  evidence  of  successful  experience 
and  professional  spirit  and  required  of  all  county  superintendents,  may  be 
issued  to  persons  who  are  graduates  of  a  standard  college  or  university,  or 
who  have  had  the  equivalent  in  scholastic  preparation;  who  have  com- 
pleted in  addition  one  graduate  year's  work  in  education  at  a  recognized 
university,   including  public   school   administration,   supervision  and 
method  of  teaching,  or  who  have  had  the  equivalent  in  scholastic  prep- 
aration, and  who  have  had  two  years'  experience  as  a  teacher. 

(2)  A  certificate  in  elementary  school  supervision,  valid  throughout 
the  State  for  three  years,  renewable  on  evidence  of  successful  experience, 
and  required  of  assistant  superintendents  and  supervisors,   may  be 
granted  to  persons  who  are  graduates  of  a  two  years'  standard  normal 
school,  or  who  have  had  the  equivalent  in  scholastic  preparation;  who 


APPENDIX  207 

have  completed  in  addition  two  full  academic  years'  work  at  a  standard 
college  or  university,  not  less  than  a  one-half  of  which  has  been  in  aca- 
demic branches  related  to  the  elementary  school  and  the  remaining 
one-half  in  advanced  elementary  school  methods  and  supervision,  or 
who  have  had  the  equivalent  in  scholastic  preparation,  and  who  have  had 
four  years  of  teaching  experience  in  elementary  schools.  Such  a  certifi- 
cate may  also  be  granted  to  persons  who  are  graduates  of  a  four  years' 
course  of  a  standard  college  or  university,  who  have  completed  one  full 
year's  work  at  a  recognized  college  or  university  in  education  including 
elementary  school  methods  and  supervision,  and  who  have  had  four 
years  teaching  experience  in  elementary  schools. 

(3)  A  certificate  in  supervision  (special),  valid  throughout  the  State 
for  three  years,  renewable  on  evidence  of  successful  experience  and  pro- 
fessional spirit,  and  required  of  special  supervisors  in  physical  training, 
music,  fine  and  applied  arts,  domestic  art  and  science,  manual  or  in- 
dustrial training,  or  agriculture,  may  be  granted  to  persons  who  have  com- 
pleted a  four  years'  high  school  course  or  the  equivalent;  who  have  had 
four  years  of  additional  work  of  a  college  grade,  approximately  one-half 
of  which  was  in  general  academic  subjects,  and  approximately  one-half  of 
which  was  in  the  special  branch  or  branches  for  which  the  certificate  is 
issued,  including  not  less  than  three  hundred  recitation  hours  in  the 
theory  of  education  and  in  the  art  of  teaching  and  supervising  their  par- 
ticular specialty,  and  who  have  had  four  years  of  experience  in  teaching, 
two  of  which  were  in  their  specialty. 

(4)  A  high  school  principal's  certificate  valid  throughout  the  State 
for  three  years,  renewable  on  evidence  of  successful  experience  and  pro- 
fessional spirit,  and  required  in  all  state-aided  high  schools  and  schools 
rated  as  high  schools  by  the  State  superintendent  of  schools,  may  be 
granted  to  persons  who  are  graduates  of  a  standard  college  or  university, 
or  who  have  had  the  equivalent  in  scholastic  preparation;  who  have  had 
in  addition  a  full  year's  graduate  work  at  a  standard  university,  approxi- 
mately one-third  of  which  was  in  advance  study  related  to  high  school 
branches  and  approximately  two-thirds  in  education,  including  high 
school  methods,  supervision  and  administration,  or  who  have  had  the 
equivalent  in  scholastic  preparation,  and  who  have  had  two  years' 
teaching  experience.    Provided  that  for  principals  of  high  schools  of  the 
second  group,  no  teaching  experience  shall  be  required. 


208  APPENDIX 

(5)  A  high  school  teacher's  certificate  in  the  regular  academic  studies, 
valid  throughout  the  State  for  three  years,  renewable  on  evidence  of  suc- 
cessful experience  and  professional  spirit,  and  required  in  all  state-aided 
high  schools  and  all  schools  rated  as  high  schools  by  the  State  superin- 
tendent of  schools  may  be  granted  to  persons  who  are  graduates  of  a 
standard  college  or  university,  or  who  have  had  the  equivalent  in  scholas- 
tic preparation;  provided  that  during  their  college  course  at  least  two 
high  school  branches  were  continuously  pursued  for  two  years;  and  pro- 
vided that  they  have  had  not  less  than  two  hundred  recitation  hours  of 
instruction  in  education,  including  the  aims  of  secondary  education, 
and  in  the  methods,  observation  and  practice  teaching  of  high  school 
studies;  provided  further  that  the  State  Superintendent  of  Schools  may 
in  his  discretion  certificate  persons  possessing  the  foregoing  qualifications 
to  teach  in  the  elementary  schools. 

(6)  A  high  school  teacher's  certificate  in  the  special  branches  of 
music,  manual  or  industrial  training,  domestic  science  and  art,  fine 
and  applied  arts,  commercial  branches  or  agriculture,  valid  through- 
out the  State  for  three  years,  renewable  on  evidence  of  successful  exper- 
ience and  professional  spirit,  and  required  in  all  state-aided  high  schools 
and  schools  rated  as  high  schools  by  the  State  superintendent  of  schools, 
may  be  granted  to  persons  who  have  completed  a  four  years'  high  school 
course  or  the  equivalent,  who  have  had  two  years  of  additional  work  of  a 
college  grade,  approximately  one-third  of  which  was  in  general  academic 
subjects  and  approximately  two-thirds  in  the  special  branch  or  branches 
for  which  the  special  high  school  certificate  is  issued,  including  as  a  part  of 
their  preparation  not  less  than  two  hundred  recitation  hours  in  the  theory 
of  education  and  in  the  art  of  teaching  their  specialty.     Such  a  certificate 
may  also  be  granted  to  persons  having  an  equivalent  academic  and  pro- 
fessional preparation  on  examination  of  equivalent  standard,  provided 
that  this  sub-section  shall  not  go  into  effect  until  September  first,  1919. 

(7)  An  elementary  school  principal's  certificate,  valid  throughout  the 
State  for  three  years,  renewable  on  evidence  of  successful  experience  and 
professional  spirit  and  required  in  all  elementary  schools  having  three  or 
more  teachers,  including  the  principal,  may  be  granted  to  persons  who 
have  had  a  four  years'  high  school  course  or  the  equivalent;  who  have 
completed  a  two  years'  standard  normal  school  course,  or  the  equivalent, 
who  have  had  in  addition  not  less  than  a  full  half-year's  work  at  a  recog- 


APPENDIX  209 

nized  college  or  university  in  elementary  school  methods,  supervision  and 
administration,  and  who  have  had  three  years  of  teaching  experience  in 
the  elementary  schools.  Such  a  certificate  may  also  be  granted  to  per- 
sons of  equivalent  academic  and  professional  preparation  on  examination 
of  equivalent  standard. 

(8)  An  elementary  school  teacher's  certificate  of  the  first  grade,  valid 
for  three  years  in  the  elementary  schools  of  the  State,  and  renewable  on 
evidence  of  successful  experience  and  professional  spirit,  may  be  issued 
to  persons  who  are  graduates  of  a  four  years'  high  school  or  the  equiva- 
lent, and  who  have  completed  a  two  year  course  in  a  standard  normal 
school  or  the  equivalent.     Such  a  certificate  may  also  be  granted  to  per- 
sons of  equivalent  academic  and  professional  preparation  on  examination 
of  equivalent  standard. 

(9)  An  elementary  school  teacher's  certificate  of  the  second  grade, 
valid  for  two  years  in  the  elementary  schools  of  the  state,  may  be  issued 
to  graduates  of  standard  high  schools  having  a  four  years'  course,  or  the 
equivalent,  on  examination  in  reading,  spelling,  penmanship,  arithmetic, 
oral  and  written  English,  geography,  history  of  the  United  States  and  of 
Maryland,  community  civics,  hygiene  and  sanitation,  music,  drawing, 
handwork,  the  theory  and  practice  of  teaching,  and  such  other  subjects  as 
may  be  required  by  the  state  board  of  education.    Provided  that  no  ap- 
plicant shall  be  granted  such  a  certificate  who  has  not  completed  at  least 
six  weeks  of  professional  preparation  in  a  standard  institution,  nor  shall 
such  certificate  be  issued  to  any  person  under  eighteen  years  of  age. 
Provided  further  that  this  certificate  may  be  renewed  for  a  period  of  two 
years  on  evidence  of  successful  experience  and  completion  of  not  less  than 
six  weeks  of  additional  academic  and  professional  preparation  in  a  stand 
ard  institution.    This  certificate  may  be  renewed  for  a  second  time  for  a 
period  of  three  years,  next  succeeding  or  otherwise,  on  evidence  of  suc- 
cessful experience  and  completion  of  not  less  than  six  additional  weeks  of 
academic  and  professional  preparation  in  a  standard  institution,  and  so 
on  for  an  indefinite   number  of   three-year   periods,    successive    or 
otherwise;  but  this  certificate  may  not  be  issued  a  second  time  to   the 
same  person  on  examination. 

(10)  An  elementary  school  teacher's  certificate  of  the  third  grade, 
valid  for  two  years  in  the  elementary  schools  of  the  state,  may  be  issued 
to  persons  having  had  less  than  a  standard  high  school  course,  on  exami- 


210  APPENDIX 

nation  in  reading,  spelling,  penmanship,  arithmetic,  oral  and  written 
English,  geography,  history  of  the  United  States  and  Maryland,  com- 
munity civics,  hygiene  and  sanitation,  the  theory  and  practice  of  teach- 
ing, and  such  other  subjects  as  may  be  required  by  the  state  board  of 
education.  Provided  that  no  applicant  shall  be  granted  such  a  certificate 
who  has  not  completed  at  least  six  weeks  of  professional  preparation  in  a 
standard  institution,  nor  shall  such  certificate  be  issued  to  any  person 
under  eighteen  years  of  age.  Provided  that  this  certificate  may  be  re- 
newed for  one  year  on  presentation  of  evidence  of  successful  experience 
and  completion  of  not  less  than  six  weeks  of  additional  academic  and  pro- 
fessional preparation  in  a  standard  institution.  Provided  further  that 
this  certificate  may  be  renewed  for  a  second  time  for  a  period  of  three 
years,  next  succeeding  or  otherwise,  on  evidence  of  successful  experience 
and  completion  of  an  additional  six  weeks  of  academic  and  professional 
preparation  in  a  standard  institution,  and  so  on  for  an  indefinite  number 
of  three  year  periods,  successive  or  otherwise;  but  this  certificate  may  not 
be  issued  a  second  time  to  the  same  person  on  examination. 

(n)  County  superintendents  of  schools  may,  with  the  approval  of 
the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  in  cases  of  emergency,  issue 
provisional  certificate  of  the  different  kinds  and  grades,  but  a  provisional 
certificate  shall  be  valid  only  until  the  next  state  examination,  and  a  pro- 
visional certificate  may  not  be  renewed  unless  such  renewal  is  approved 
by  the  state  superintendent  of  schools. 

56.  Any  county  board  of  education  may,  on  the  recommendation  of 
the  county  superintendent,  suspend  any  teacher,  principal,  supervisor, 
or  assistant  superintendent  for  immorality,  dishonesty,  intemperance, 
insubordination,  incompetency,  or  wilful  neglect  of  duty,  and  may  rec- 
ommend to  the  state  superintendent  of  schools  the  revocation  of  the  cer- 
tificate of  such  person,  stating  in  writing  the  grounds  for  such  recom- 
mendations, and  giving  an  opportunity,  upon  not  less  than  ten  days' 
notice,  to  be  heard  in  defense,  in  person  or  by  counsel,  and  the  state  super- 
intendent of  schools  may  order  such  investigations  as  he  may  deem 
necessary.     If  he  approves  the  recommendation,  the  teacher's  certificate 
shall  be  revoked  and  the  teacher  shall  be  dropped  from  the  service. 

57.  The  state  superintendent  of  schools  shall  keep  a  full  and  complete 
record  of  the  academic  preparation,  the  professional  training  and  teaching 
experience  of  each  applicant  to  whom  a  certificate  is  issued.    He  shall 


APPENDIX  211 

keep  a  complete  record  of  the  credentials,  certificates  or  diplomas  upon 
which  certificates  may  have  been  issued  or  renewed,  and  shall  keep  on 
file  for  at  least  six  months  all  written  examination  papers.  He  shall  keep 
a  complete  record  and  file  of  all  certificates  issued  and  of  all  certificates  in 
force.  He  shall  make  known  to  county  superintendents  the  names  of 
teachers  holding  certificates  who  are  unemployed,  but  seeking  positions, 
and  no  provisional  certificate  may  be  issued  by  a  county  superintendent 
when  it  is  possible  to  employ  persons  holding  regularly  issued  certifi- 
cates; nor  shall  persons  be  employed  holding  third  grade  certificates, 
when  it  is  possible  to  employ  persons  holding  second  grade  certificates, 
nor  shall  persons  be  employed  holding  second  grade  certificates  when  it  is 
possible  to  employ  persons  holding  first  grade  certificates. 

58.  Teachers'  certificates  shall  be  of  two  classes:  first  class  and 
second  class.    All  teachers'  certificates  issued  by  the  state  superintendent 
of  schools  shall,  when  issued,  be  of  the  second  class,  and  shall  be  subject 
to  classification  by  the  county  superintendent.     The  certificates  of  all  the 
teachers  employed  shall  be  classified  by  the  county  superintendent,  not 
less  than  once  in  two  years.     In  determining  the  class  of  the  certificate  of 
a  particular  teacher,  the  folio  whig  points  are  to  be  considered:     (a) 
Scholarship;   (b)  executive  ability;   (c)  personality,  and  (d)  teaching 
power.    The  county  superintendent  may  add  such  other  requirements 
as  are  approved  by  the  superintendent  of  public  education.    The  county 
superintendent  shall  keep  a  record  of  the  kind,  grade  and  class  of  certifi- 
cate held  by  each  teacher  employed  in  the  county,  and  on  or  before  the 
first  day  of  October  each  year,  he  shall  submit  to  the  county  board  of 
education  a  list  of  all  the  teachers  employed,  together  with  the  kind,  grade 
and  class  of  their  certificates,  and  a  copy  of  this  report  shall  be  trans- 
mitted to  the  state  superintendent  of  schools. 

59.  The  salaries  of  teachers  shall  hereafter  be  paid  monthly,  during 
the  school  year  on  or  before  the  tenth  day  of  the  calendar  month 
succeeding  that  for  which  the  salary  is  due.    No  teacher  shall  be  en- 
titled to  receive  payment  for  services  unless  all  the  current  records  of  the 
school  have  been  kept  with  care  and  accuracy,  and  unless  all  reports  re- 
quired by  the  county  superintendent  of  schools  have  been  properly  made 
and  submitted. 

60.  No  white  teacher  regularly  employed  in  a  public  school  of  the 
State  of  Maryland  shall  receive  a  salary  of  less  than  three  hundred  dollars 


212  APPENDIX 

($300)  per  school  year.  Provided,  that  no  white  teacher  regularly  em- 
ployed in  a  public  school  of  the  State  of  Maryland,  holding  a  third  grade 
certificate  of  the  first  class  and  who  has  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
State  of  Maryland  for  a  period  of  eight  years,  shall  receive  a  salary  of  less 
than  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  ($350)  per  school  year. 

No  white  teacher  regularly  employed  in  a  public  school  of  the  State  of 
Maryland,  holding  a  second  grade  certificate  and  having  taught  for  a 
period  of  three  years  in  the  public  schools  of  the  State  of  Maryland,  shall 
receive  a  salary  of  less  than  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  ($350)  per 
school  year.  Provided,  if  such  a  teacher  holds  a  second  grade  certificate 
of  the  first  class  and  has  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  the  State  of  Mary- 
land for  a  period  of  five  years,  such  teacher  shall  receive  a  salary  of  not 
less  than  four  hundred  dollars  ($400)  per  school  year.  Provided,  further, 
if  such  a  teacher  hold  a  second  grade  certificate  of  the  first  class  and  has 
taught  in  the  public  schools  of  the  State  of  Maryland,  for  a  period  of  eight 
years,  such  teacher  shall  receive  a  salary  of  not  less  than  four  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  ($450)  per  school  year. 

No  white  teacher  regularly  employed  in  a  public  school  of  the  State  of 
Maryland  holding  a  first  grade  certificate,  shall  receive  a  salary  of  less 
than  four  hundred  dollars  ($400)  per  school  year.  Provided,  if  such 
a  teacher  holds  a  first  grade  certificate  of  the  first  class  and  has  taught 
in  the  public  schools  of  the  State  of  Maryland  for  a  period  of  three  years, 
such  teacher  shall  receive  a  salary  of  not  less  than  four  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  ($450)  per  school  year.  Provided,  further,  if  such  a  teacher  holds 
a  first  grade  certificate  of  the  first  class  and  has  taught  in  the  public 
schools  of  Maryland  for  a  period  of  five  years,  such  teacher  shall  receive  a 
salary  of  not  less  than  five  hundred  dollars  ($500)  per  school  year.  And 
provided,  further,  if  such  a  teacher  holds  a  first  grade  certificate  of  the 
first  class  and  has  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  the  State  of  Maryland 
for  a  period  of  eight  years,  such  a  teacher  shall  receive  a  salary  of  not  less 
than  five  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  ($550)  per  school  year. 

The  boards  of  county  commissioners  of  each  county  shall  levy  sufficient 
funds  to  meet  the  scale  of  salaries  provided  for  in  this  section;  and  the 
salary  of  no  teacher  regularly  employed  at  the  time  this  section  goes  into 
effect  shall  be  diminished  by  reason  of  any  of  its  provisions,  but  every 
teacher  shall  be  entitled  to  any  increase  in  salary  that  may  herein  be 
granted,  from  the  time  this  section  goes  into  effect. 


APPENDIX  213 

62.  Whenever  any  person  in  this  State  has  taught  in  any  of  the  public 
or  normal  schools  thereof  twenty-five  years,  and  has  reached  the  age  of 
sixty  years,  and  his  or  her  record  as  such  teacher  has  been  without  re- 
proach, and  by  reason  of  physical  or  mental  disability  or  infirmity  is  un- 
able to  teach  longer,  and  who,  moreover,  is  without  the  means  of  com- 
fortable support,  such  person  may  lay  his  or  her  case  before  the  state 
superintendent  of  schools,  supported  by  the  recommendation  of  the 
county  board  of  education  of  the  county  in  which  such  person  has  last 
taught,  and  the  state  superintendent  of  schools  shall  proceed  to  consider 
the  same,  and  if  the  facts  are  found  as  above  stated  such  person  shall  be 
placed  on  a  list,  to  be  known  as  the  "Teachers'  Retired  List,"  and  every 
person  so  placed  on  this  list  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  a  pension  from  the 
State  of  two  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  to  be  paid  quarterly  by  the 
Treasurer  of  the  State  Board  of  Education,  so  long  as  such  pensioner  is 
without  other  means  of  comfortable  support,  and  the  state  superinten- 
dent of  schools  may  in  extraordinary  cases  waive  the  age  limit  as  herein 
designated.     Provided,  however,  the  applicant  has  all  the  other  quali- 
fications as  herein  specified.     The  treasurer  of  the  state  board  of  educa- 
tion shall,  on  or  before  the  last  day  of  September,  December,  March 
and  June  of  each  year,  certify  to  the  Comptroller  the  sum  of  money 
necessary  for  the  payment  of  said  pensions  for  the  current  quarter  as  pro- 
vided by  this  section,  and  the  Comptroller,  shall,  on  or  before  the  first  day 
of  the  months  of  January,  March,  June  and  October,  issue  his  warrant 
on  the  Treasurer  of  the  State  in  favor  of  the  Treasurer  of  the  State  Board 
of  Education  for  the  amount  so  certified.     On  receipt  of  the  warrant  of 
the  Comptroller,  the  Treasurer  of  the  State  of  Maryland  shall  immedi- 
ately pay  the  amount  due  on  said  dates  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  State 
Board  of  Education. 

CHAPTER  9. 

Pupils. 

63.  All  white  youths  between  the  ages  of  six  and  twenty-one  years 
shall  be  admitted  into  such  public  schools  of  the  State,  the  studies  of 
which  they  may  be  able  to  pursue;  provided,  that  whenever  there  are 
grade  schools,  the  principal  and  the  county  superintendent  shall  deter- 
mine to  which  school  pupils  shall  be  admitted. 

64.  The  district  board  of  school  trustees  shall  have  power  to  suspend 


2i4  APPENDIX 

and  expel  pupils  for  cause;  provided,  that  an  appeal  shall  lie  to  the  county 
superintendent,  whose  decision  shall  be  final. 

65.  Children  living  remote  from  the  school  of  the  district  in  which 
they  reside  may  attend  school  in  an  adjoining  district,  with  the  consent  of 
the  county  superintendent  of  schools. 

CHAPTER  10. 
Text  Books  and  School  Supplies 

68.  The  board  of  public  school  commissioners  of  Baltimore  City  and 
each  county  board  of  education  shall  adopt  and  purchase,  subject  to  the 
provisions  of  this  article,  text  books,  supplementary  readers,  materials 
of  instruction,  stationery,  and  school  supplies  for  use  in  the  public  schools 
of  said  city  and  of  the  several  counties  of  the  State.     When  so  purchased, 
the  necessary  text  books,  supplementary  readers,  materials  of  instruc- 
tion,   stationery,    and    school   supplies    shall    be   furnished   free    of 
cost  for  use  in  the  public  schools  of  the  State,  provided  that  no  regular 
text  books  or  series  of  text  books  shall  be  changed  more  often  than  once 
in  three  years.     It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  board  of  school  commissioners 
of  Baltimore  City  and  of  the  county  boards  of  education  of  the  several 
counties  to  furnish  text  books  in  ample  and  sufficient  quantities  to  the 
several  grades  in  the  public  schools;  thereafter  supplementary  readers, 
materials  of  instruction,  stationery  and  school  supplies  shall  be  furnished 
in  adequate  quantities  to  the  several  grades  in  the  public  schools,  pro- 
vided that  parents  or  pupils  may  purchase  their  text-books,  stationery 
and  school  supplies,  if  they  desire  to  do  so.    The  said  respective  boards 
shall  adopt  means  for  the  purchase  of  text-books,  supplementary  readers, 
materials  of  instruction,  stationery  and  school  supplies  by  competitive 
bidding,  and  at  the  lowest  possible  price  consistent  with  quality,  and  each 
of  said  boards  shall  furnish  annually  to  the  state  superintendents  of  schools 
the  title,  the  name  of  the  publisher,  and  the  net  price  of  each  text  book 
and  supplementary  reader  purchased  under  the  provisions  of  this  article. 

69.  The  said  several  boards  shall  authorize  the  delivery,  subject  to  the 
provisions  of  this  article,  of  text-books,  supplementary  readers,  ma- 
terials of  instruction,  stationery  and  school  supplies,  and  shall  provide 
for  the  issuing,  safekeeping  and  care  of  the  same  under  such  rules  and 
regulations  as  they  may  severally  adopt. 


APPENDIX  215 

70.  The  said  several  boards  shall  keep  a  separate  account  of  all  money 
received  from  the  State  for  the  purchase  of  text  books,  supplementary 
readers,  materials  of  instruction,  stationery  and  school  supplies  and  of  all 
money  expended  for  such  purposes.    They  shall  report  the  same  annually 
to  the  state  superintendent  of  schools  and  in  their  annual  report  ad- 
dressed to  the  people  required  by  law.     No  money  received  from  the  State 
for  the  purchase  of  text  books,  supplementary  readers,  materials  of  in- 
struction, stationery  and  school  supplies  shall  ever  be  used  for  any  other 
purpose  or  spent  in  any  other  way  than  provided  for  in  the  two  preceding 
sections. 

71.  The  entire  sum  appropriated  by  the  General  Assembly  for  the 
purchase  of  text  books,  supplementary  readers,  material  of  instruction, 
stationery  and  school  supplies,  shall  be  annually  apportioned  on  or  be- 
fore the  last  day  of  September  by  the  Comptroller  to  the  board  of  public 
school  commissioners  of  the  City  of  Baltimore  and  to  the  county  boards 
of  education  of  each  of  the  several  counties  according  to  and  on  the  basis 
of  the  average  enrollment  in  the  public  schools  of  the  City  of  Baltimore, 
and  of  each  of  the  several  counties  during  the  preceding  school  year  as 
certified  to  by  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  and  the  Comptroller 
shall  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  October  draw  his  warrant  on  the  Treas- 
urer of  the  State  of  Maryland  for  the  respective  amounts  due  to  the  board 
of  public  school  commissioners  of  Baltimore  City  and  the  treasurer  of  the 
county  board  of  education  of  the  several  counties.     On  the  receipt  of  the 
warrant  of  the  Comptroller,  the  Treasurer  of  the  State  of  Maryland  shall 
immediately  pay  the  respective  amounts  due  to  the  board  of  public  school 
commissioners  of  the  City  of  Baltimore  and  the  treasurer  of  the  county 
board  of  education  of  the  several  counties.    The  board  of  public  school 
commissioners  of  the  City  of  Baltimore  and  the  county  boards  of  educa- 
tion are  free  to  spend  more  for  text  books,  supplementary  readers, 
materials  of  instruction,  stationery  and  school  supplies  than  the  amount 
received  from  the  State  for  such  purpose. 

CHAPTER  12. 
The  State  Normal  Schools. 

82.    The  state  board  of  education  and  the  state  superintendent  of 
schools  shall  be  the  board  of  trustees  of  each  of  the  normal  schools  main- 


216  APPENDIX 

tained  and  supported  by  the  State:  the  state  normal  school  at  Towson, 
the  state  normal  school  at  Frostburg  and  the  state  normal  school  at 
Bowie. 

83.  The  board  of  trustees  shall  exercise  general  supervision  of  the 
expenditure  of  all  money  appropriated  by  the  General  Assembly  for  the 
erection  of  buildings  or  additions,  for  repairs,  up-keep,  maintenance  and 
support  of  these  schools,  and  shall  have  control  and  supervision  of  their 
management  and  work.     The  board  of  trustees  shall  authorize  all  de- 
partments of  instruction  and  all  positions,  and  shall  fix  the  salaries  and 
tenure  of  all  teachers,  and  all  assistants  of  whatever  kind;  they  may  dis- 
miss any  teacher  or  any  assistant  for  immorality,  dishonesty,  miscon- 
duct in  office,  incompetency,  insubordination  and  wilful  neglect  of  duty, 
but  no  teacher  or  professional  assistant  may  be  dismissed  without  being 
given  a  copy  of  the  charges  against  him  and  an  opportunity  of  being 
heard,  in  person  or  by  counsel,  in  his  own  defense,  upon  not  less  than  ten 
days'  notice.    The  board  of  trustees  shall  authorize  the  course  or  the 
courses  of  study  to  be  offered,  including  courses  for  observation  and 
practice  in  teaching.     They  shall  prescribe  the  entrance  requirements, 
subject  to  the  provisions  of  this  article,  to  the  different  departments  and 
courses  of  study;  shall  determine  the  number  of  students  to  be  admitted 
from  the  city  of  Baltimore,  and  each  of  the  several  counties,  provided  that 
students  of  both  sexes  shall  be  admitted;  they  shall  regulate  the  length  of 
the  regular  sessions,  provided  that  it  shall  not  be  less  than  nine  months; 
they  shall  provide  and  arrange  for  summer  sessions,  and  shall  formulate 
rules  and  regulations  for  the  conduct  and  management  of  these  schools. 

84.  The  board  shall  elect  a  principal  for  each  of  the  state  normal 
schools,  provided  that  no  principal  shall  be  elected  to  a  white  normal 
school  who  is  not  a  graduate  of  a  standard  college,  or  the  equivalent,  who 
has  not  had  in  addition  not  less  than  two  years  of  special  academic  and 
professional  preparation  in  a  standard  university,  and  five  years  of  teach- 
ing experience,  two  of  which  have  been  in  the  training  of  teachers.     Pro- 
vided that  nothing  in  this  section  shall  affect  the  terms  of  the  present  in- 
cumbents or  their  eligibility  for  reappointment.  The  principal  shall  be  the 
head  of  his  respective  school  and  shall  be  responsible  for  the  discipline  and 
successful  conduct  of  his  school  and  for  the  administration  and  super- 
vision of  all  its  departments.    The  principal  shall  nominate  for  appoint- 
ment by  the  board  of  trustees,  and  may  recommend  for  dismissal  by  said 


APPENDIX  217 

board,  all  heads  of  departments,  all  teachers,  and  all  assistants  of 
whatever  kind.  He  shall  submit  to  the  board  of  trustees,  for  adoption, 
courses  of  study  and  plans  of  work  and  shall  in  every  way  take  the 
initiative  in  working  out  the  policies  of  his  school  and  in  promoting  its 
development  and  efficiency.  He  shall  each  year  make  an  annual  report 
to  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  including  a  copy  of  the  annual  re- 
port of  the  treasurer  of  the  state  board  of  education,  of  the  receipts  and 
disbursements  of  his  school,  a  statement  of  the  academic  preparation  of 
each  student  admitted  during  the  year,  of  the  state  and  condition  of  the 
school,  of  its  achievements  during  the  year,  of  its  present  and  future 
needs,  and  of  his  recommendations  for  the  support  and  advancement  of 
his  school. 

85.  There  shall  be  maintained  at  each  white  state  normal  school  a  two 
year  course  or  courses  of  study  designed  for  the  preparation  of  teachers 
for  the  elementary  schools,  and  to  which  only  graduates  of  a  standard 
four  year  high  school  course,  or  the  equivalent,  may  be  admitted.    There 
may  be  maintained,  in  addition,  advanced  specialized  industrial  and 
practical  courses  in  manual  training,  in  domestic  art  and  science  and  in 
the  applied  arts  for  the  preparation  of  teachers  in  these  special  branches. 

86.  There  may  also  be  maintained,  at  each  white  state  normal  school 
a  four  year  preparatory  course  of  a  standard  high  school  grade  for  the 
accommodation  of  such  students  as  desire  to  teach  but  who  are  not  pro- 
vided with  local  high  school  advantages;  but  no  pupil  may  be  admitted 
to  this  four  year  course  of  a  high  school  grade  who  has  not  completed  the 
work  of  the  public  elementary  schools. 

87.  Students  regularly  admitted  to  the  state  normal  schools  from  the 
city  of  Baltimore  and  the  several  counties,  who  shall  obligate  themselves 
to  teach  in  the  State  of  Maryland,  shall  have  free  tuition  and  shall  be 
furnished  the  use  of  text  books  free  of  charge.    Other  students  may  be 
admitted  to  these  schools,  in  the  discretion  of  the  board  of  trustees,  who 
possess  the  prescribed  qualifications  for  admission,  on  payment  of  a  fixed 
and  uniform  fee  as  determined  by  the  board  of  trustees. 

88.  The  several  and  respective  sums  hereafter  appropriated  by  the 
General  Assembly  for  the  erection  of  buildings,  or  additions,  repairs,  up- 
keep, maintenance  and  support  of  each  of  the  state  normal  schools  shall, 
unless  otherwise  specified  and  provided,  be  paid  in  equal  instalments  on 
the  first  day  of  January,  March,  June  and  October  to  the  treasurer  of  the 


218  APPENDIX 

state  board  of  education.  On  or  before  said  dates,  the  Comptroller  shall 
draw  his  warrant  on  the  treasurer  of  the  State  of  Maryland  for  the  re- 
spective amounts  due  on  said  dates  to  the  treasurer  of  the  state  board  of 
education.  On  receipt  of  the  warrant  of  the  Comptroller,  the  Treasurer 
of  the  State  of  Maryland  shall  immediately  pay  the  amount  due  on  said 
dates  to  the  treasurer  of  the  state  board  of  education,  and  the  same  shall 
be  paid  to  and  applied  by  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  state  normal  schools 
to  the  payment  of  teachers'  salaries,  clerical  and  other  assistance,  for  the 
purchase  of  apparatus,  school  furniture,  text  books,  library  and  reference 
books,  stationery,  light,  fuel  and  for  other  necessary  expenses  in  main- 
taining and  supporting  the  respective  state  normal  schools,  and  when 
special  appropriations  are  made  for  the  erection  of  buildings  or  additions 
or  unusual  repairs  the  same  shall  be  used  for  the  special  purpose.  The 
treasurer  of  the  state  board  of  education  shall  make,  on  or  before  January 
the  first  of  each  year,  to  the  Governor,  a  report  of  the  receipts  and  dis- 
bursements of  each  of  the  state  normal  schools. 

CHAPTER  17. 
High  Schools. 

12$.  The  county  board  of  education  of  any  county  shall  have  author- 
ity to  establish  high  schools,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  state  superin- 
tendent of  schools,  in  their  respective  counties,  when,  in  their  judgment, 
it  is  advisable  to  do  so.  All  high  schools  so  established  and  those  now  in 
operation  shall  be  under  the  direct  control  of  the  several  county  boards  of 
education,  subject  to  the  provisions  of  this  article;  provided  that  when  in- 
struction below  that  of  the  high  school  grades  is  given  in  the  same  build- 
ing, or  on  the  same  premises,  such  grade  work  may  also  be  under  the 
direct  control  of  the  county  board  of  education,  and  the  principal  of  the 
high  school  shall  also  be  principal  of  the  elementary  school. 

126.  For  the  encouragement  of  secondary  education  in  Maryland,  the 
State  shall  extend  aid  to  such  groups  of  high  schools  in  such  amounts  and 
in  such  manner  as  hereinafter  designated  and  described.  All  high  schools 
of  the  counties  of  the  State  of  Maryland  receiving  state  aid  shall  be  ar- 
ranged by  the  state  superintendent  of  schools  in  two  groups,  to  be  de- 
signated first  group  and  second  group,  according  to  the  number  of  pupils 
enrolled,  teachers  employed,  and  years  of  instruction  given.  High 


APPENDIX  219 

Schools  of  the  first  group  shall  fulfill  the  following  minimum  requirements: 
(a)  They  shall  have  an  enrollment  of  not  less  than  eighty  pupils,  and  an 
average  daily  attendance  of  not  less  than  seventy  pupils;  (b)  they  shall 
employ  not  less  than  four  teachers  for  the  regular  high  school  work,  ex- 
clusive of  instructors  of  special  subjects  named  under  (e) ;  (c)  they  shall 
provide  a  four  years'  course  of  instruction  of  not  less  than  one  hundred 
and  eighty  actual  school  days  in  each  year,  the  same  to  conform  to  the 
standard  required  by  the  state  board  of  education;  (d)  the  annual  salary 
of  the  principal  shall  be  not  less  than  twelve  hundred  dollars  ($1,200)  for  a 
person,  holding  a  first  class  certificate,  of  less  than  three  years'  experience 
as  principal  of  an  approved  high  school;  not  less  than  thirteen  hundred 
dollars  ($1,300)  for  a  person,  holding  a  first  class  certificate,  of  three 
years'  experience  as  principal  of  an  approved  high  school;  not  less  than 
fourteen  hundred  dollars  ($1,400)  for  a  person,  holding  a  first  class  certifi- 
cate, of  five  years'  experience  as  principal  of  an  approved  high  school; 
and  not  less  than  fifteen  hundred  dollars  ($1,500)  for  a  person,  holding  a 
first  class  certificate,  of  eight  years'  experience  as  principal  of  an  ap- 
proved high  school.  The  annual  salary  of  each  assistant  teacher  regu- 
larly employed  shall  be  not  less  than  five  hundred  dollars  ($500)  for  a 
person  of  not  less  than  three  years'  experience  as  teacher  in  an  approved 
high  school;  not  less  than  six  hundred  dollars  ($600)  for  a  person,  holding 
a  first  class  certificate,  of  three  years'  experience  as  teacher  in  an  approved 
high  school;  not  less  than  seven  hundred  dollars  ($700)  for  a  person,  hold- 
ing a  first  class  certificate,  of  five  years'  experience  as  a  teacher  in  an  ap- 
proved high  school;  and  not  less  than  eight  hundred  dollars  ($800)  for  a 
person,  holding  a  first  class  certificate,  of  eight  years'  experience  as 
teacher  in  an  approved  high  school.  Experience  prior  to  the  year  1910 
shall  not  be  considered  in  determining  the  salary  of  the  principal  and 
assistant  teachers;  (e)  provision  shall  be  made  for  manual  or  industrial 
training  and  domestic  science  courses,  and  also  for  a  commercial  or  an 
agricultural  course,  as  may  be  determined  by  the  county  board  of  educa- 
tion, on  the  approval  of  the  state  superintendent  of  schools;  and  on  the 
recommendation  of  said  State  Superintendent  of  Schools  a  course  in  agri- 
culture may  be  substituted  for  manual  or  industrial  training;  (f)  no  person 
shall  be  employed  as  principal  or  assistant  teacher  not  holding  the  ap- 
propriate certificate  as  provided  for  in  Chapter  8  of  this  article.  High 
Schools  of  the  second  group  shall  fulfill  the  following  minimum  require- 


220  APPENDIX 

ments:  (a)  they  shall  have  an  enrollment  of  not  less  than  thirty-five 
pupils,  and  an  average  daily  attendance  of  thirty  pupils;  (b)  they  shall 
employ  not  less  than  two  teachers  for  the  regular  high  school  work,  ex- 
clusive of  instructors  of  special  subjects  named  under  (e);  (c)  they  shall 
provide  a  three  years'  course  of  instruction  of  not  less  than  one  hundred 
and  eighty  actual  school  days  in  each  year,  the  same  to  conform  to  the 
standard  required  by  the  State  Board  of  Education;  (d)  the  annual  salary 
of  the  principal  shall  be  not  less  than  one  thousand  dollars  ($1,000)  for  a 
person,  holding  a  first  class  certificate,  of  less  than  three  years'  experience 
as  principal  of  an  approved  high  school;  not  less  than  eleven  hundred 
dollars  ($1,100)  for  a  person,  holding  a  first  class  certificate,  of  three 
years'  experience  as  principal  of  an  approved  high  school;  not  less  than 
twelve  hundred  dollars  ($1,200)  for  a  person,  holding  a  first  class  certifi- 
cate, of  five  years'  experience  as  principal  of  an  approved  high  school;  and 
not  less  than  thirteen  hundred  dollars  ($1,300)  for  a  person,  holding  a 
first  class  certificate,  of  eight  years'  experience  as  principal  of  an  approved 
high  school;  and  the  annual  salary  of  each  assistant  teacher  regularly 
employed  shall  be  not  less  than  five  hundred  dollars  ($500)  for  a  person  of 
less  than  three  years'  experience  as  teacher  in  an  approved  high  school; 
not  less  than  six  hundred  dollars  ($600)  for  a  person,  holding  a  first  class 
certificate,  of  three  years'  experience  as  teacher  in  an  approved  high 
school;  not  less  than  seven  hundred  dollars  ($700)  for  a  person,  holding  a 
first  class  certificate,  of  five  years'  experience  as  a  teacher  in  an  approved 
high  school;  and  not  less  than  eight  hundred  dollars  ($800)  for  a  person 
holding  a  first  class  certificate,  of  eight  years'  experience  as  teacher  in  an 
approved  high  school.  Experience  prior  to  the  year  1910  shall  not  be 
considered  in  determining  the  salary  of  the  principal  and  assistant 
teachers;  (e)  provision  shall  be  made  for  manual  or  industrial  training  and 
domestic  science  courses,  and  also  for  an  agricultural  course,  as  may  be 
determined  by  the  county  board  of  education,  on  the  approval  of  the  state 
superintendent  of  schools;  (f)  no  person  shall  be  employed  as  principal  or 
assistant  teacher  not  holding  the  appropriate  certificate  as  provided  for, 
in  Chapter  8  of  this  Article.  The  course  of  instruction  in  schools  of  the 
second  group  may  be  extended  to  four  years  by  the  county  board  of  edu- 
cation on  the  approval  of  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  by  the  em- 
ployment of  such  additional  teacher  or  teachers,  as  may  be  required  by 
the  state  superintendent  of  schools;  provided,  that  the  salary  of  such  ad- 


APPENDIX  221 

ditional  teacher  or  teachers  shall  be  paid  wholly  by  the  county  board  of 
education;  and  in  the  schools  of  the  second  group,  where  the  course  of  in- 
struction has  been  so  extended  to  a  four-year  course,  the  graduates  shall 
receive  the  same  recognition  as  graduates  of  schools  of  the  first  group. 
No  promotions  of  high  school  pupils  from  one  grade  to  another,  or  grad- 
uation, shall  be  made  without  the  approval  of  the  principal  and  the 
county  superintendent. 

I26A.  To  encourage  the  idea  that  no  person  should  enter  upon  the 
duties  of  teaching  without  special  training  for  the  work,  the  county  board 
of  education  of  any  county,  with  the  approval  of  the  state  superinten- 
dent of  schools,  may  inaugurate  in  one  approved  high  school  of  the  first 
group,  a  two  years'  teachers'  training  course  for  students  having  com- 
pleted successfully  the  tenth  year  grade,  and  who  wish  to  prepare  them- 
selves for  teaching.  The  state  board  of  education  shall  prescribe  the 
course  and  all  necessary  regulations  to  make  the  work  of  the  course 
effective. 

127.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  or  an 
assistant  designated  by  him,  to  make  an  annual  inspection  of  all  high 
schools  receiving  state  aid,  and  also  such  other  schools  as  make  applica- 
tion, through  their  respective  county  superintendents,  to  receive  said 
state  aid.  The  state  superintendent  of  "schools  shall,  on  or  before  the  last 
day  of  September  of  each  year,  prepare  a  list  of  high  schools,  designating 
the  group  to  which  each  belongs,  the  amount  of  said  state  aid  to  which 
each  is  entitled,  and  to  whom  the  same  shall  be  paid.  The  preparation  of 
this  list  shall  be  based  on  information  obtained  through  inspection,  super- 
vision, written  reports  of  the  principal  or  county  superintendent,  or  other 
reliable  sources.  He  shall  certify  this  list  to  the  Comptroller  of  the 
treasury,  on  or  before  the  last  day  of  September  of  each  year,  and  the 
Comptroller  of  the  treasury  shall  issue  his  warrant  upon  the  treasurer  of 
the  State  in  equal  quarterly  instalments  in  each  and  every  year  at  the 
time  when  the  General  State  School  Fund  is  now,  or  may  hereafter  be 
distributed,  payable  to  the  order  of  the  treasurers  of  the  respective  county 
boards  of  education,  or  the  board  of  commissioners  of  the  public  schools 
of  Baltimore  City,  for  such  sum  or  sums  as  they  are  entitled  to  receive 
under  the  provisions  of  this  article,  and  shown  by  the  certified  list  of  high 
schools  as  aforesaid.  Provided  that  any  high  school  receiving  state  aid, 
under  the  provisions  of  this  article,  shall  forfeit  its  right  to  receive  state 


222  APPENDIX 

aid  under  the  provisions  of  any  other  act  or  resolution  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  State  of  Maryland.  Provided,  further,  that  not  more 
than  one  high  school  shall  be  granted  state  aid  under  the  provisions  of 
this  article  in  the  same  village,  town  or  city,  unless  each  additional  high 
school  has  an  average  daily  attendance  hi  excess  of  two  hundred  pupils; 
provided  that  this  provision  shall  not  affect  the  right  of  schools  on  the 
approved  list  at  the  date  of  the  passage  of  this  act  to  receive  state  aid. 

128.  Each  county  high  school  in  the  first  group  shall  receive  state  aid 
on  the  basis  of  the  cost  of  instruction,  and  in  the  following  manner:    The 
sum  of  six  hundred  (600)  dollars  on  account  of  the  principal,  and  the  sum 
of  three  hundred  (300)  dollars  on  account  of  each  of  the  first  three  assis- 
tants employed  for  regular  high  school  work;  the  sum  of  four  hundred 
(400)  dollars  on  account  of  each  of  two  special  teachers,  who  shall  spend 
not  less  than  two-fifths  of  their  time  in  the  school;  and  the  sum  of  one 
hundred  (100)  dollars  on  account  of  each  additional  regular  high  school 
teacher,  provided  the  total  amount  does  not  exceed  the  sum  of  twenty- 
five  hundred  (2500)  dollars.    In  this  Chapter  the  term  "special  teacher" 
shall  be  construed  to  mean  a  teacher  of  commercial,  manual  or  industrial 
training,  domestic  science  or  agricultural  branches.    Each  county  high 
school  in  the  second  group  shall  receive  state  aid  on  the  basis  of  the  cost 
of  instruction,  and  in  the  following  manner:     The  sum  of  six  hundred 
(600)  dollars  on  account  of  the  principal;  the  sum  of  four  hundred  (400) 
dollars  on  account  of  one  assistant  teacher  employed  for  regular  high 
school  work;  and  the  sum  of  four  hundred  (400)  dollars  on  account  of  one 
instructor  of  special  subjects;  provided  that  the  amount  that  may  be 
received  by  a  high  school  of  Baltimore  city  shall  be  equal  to  the  maximum 
amount  received  on  account  of  anv  high  school  in  the  counties  of  the 
State. 

129.  All  certificates  or  diplomas  issued  to  students  having  completed 
a  course  of  study  in  a  county  high  school  shall  show  the  group  to  which 
said  high  school  belongs,  the  course  taken  by  the  student,  and  the  num- 
ber of  years  of  instruction  given;  and  the  graduates  of  any  approved  high 
school  providing  a  four  years'  course  shall  be  admitted  without  examina- 
tion to  the  freshman  class  of  any  college  of  Maryland  receiving  financial 
aid  from  the  State;  provided  said  graduate  pursued  the  academic  course 
in  the  high  schools. 

130.  The  state  board  of  education,  subject  to  the  provisions  of  this 


APPENDIX  223 

article,  shall  prepare  the  course  of  study  to  be  used  by  the  several  groups 
of  high  schools  described  in  this  article,  and  shall  have  authority  to  make 
any  by-laws  for  their  government  not  at  variance  with  the  provisions  of 
this  article. 

CHAPTER  18. 

Schools  for  Colored  Children. 

131.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  county  board  of  education  to  establish 
one  or  more  public  schools  in  each  election  district  for  all  colored  youths, 
between  six  and  twenty  years  of  age,  to  which  admission  shall  be  free,  and 
which  shall  be  kept  open  not  less  than  one  hundred  and  forty  (140) 
actual  school  days  or  seven  months  in  each  school  year;  provided,  that  the 
colored  population  of  any  such  district  shall,  in  the  judgment  of  the 
county  board  of.education,  warrant  the  establishment  of  such  a  school  or 
schools. 

132.  Each  colored  school  shall  be  under  the  direction  of  a  district 
board  of  school  trustees,  to  be  appointed  by  the  county  board  of  educa- 
tion subject  to  the  provisions  of  section  7  of  this  article,  and  schools 
for  colored  children  shall  be  subject  to  all  the  provisions  of  this  article. 

CHAPTER  19. 
Source  and  Distribution  of  Income 

133.  All  money  appropriated,  subsequent  to  the  enactment  of  this 
section,  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Maryland  and  the  re- 
ceipts from  any  state  public  school  tax  levied  by  the  General  Assembly,  to 
aid  in  support  of  public  schools,  shall  constitute  what  shall  be  known  as 
the  General  State  School  Fund.    The  comptroller  shall  charge  against  and 
pay  as  hereinbefore  or  hereinafter  provided  from  the  General  State  School 
Fund,  the  annual  appropriation  made  by  the  General  Assembly  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  state  department  of  education,  including  the  expenses  of  the 
state  board  of  education,  and  the  support  and  expenses  of  the  office  of  the 
state  superintendent  of  schools;  the  annual  appropriation  for  the  main- 
tenance and  support  of  the  state  normal  school  at  Towson;  of  the  state 
normal  school  No.  2.  at  Frostburg,  and  of  the  state  normal  school  No.  3 
at  Bowie;  the  annual  appropriation  for  retired  teachers'  pensions;  the 
annual  apgropriation  for  state  aid  to  approved  high  schools:  the  annual 


224  APPENDIX 

appropriation  for  state  aid  to  approved  colored  industrial  schools;  the 
annual  appropriation  for  part  payment  by  the  State  of  the  salaries  of 
county  superintendents  and  of  the  superintendent  of  schools  of  Baltimore 
City,  and  of  one  supervisor,  and  of  one  attendance  officer  in  each  of  the 
several  counties  and  the  City  of  Baltimore;  the  annual  appropriation  for 
the  purchase  of  text  books,  materials  of  instruction  and  school  supplies. 
But  no  special  appropriation  to  any  county;  to  any  academy,  or  to  any 
college  or  university  may  be  paid  from  the  General  State  School  Fund. 

136.  Such  appropriations  as  are  made  by  the  General  Assembly  for 
the  payment  of  the  expenses  of  the  state  board  of  education  and  for 
the  support  and  expenses  of  the  office  of  the  state  superintendent  of 
schools  shall  be  paid  each  year  in  equal  instalments  on  the  first  day  of 
January,  March,  June  and  October,  to  the  treasurer  of  the  state  board  of 
education.    On  or  before  said  dates  the  Comptroller  shall  draw  his  war- 
rant on  the  Treasurer  of  the  State  of  Maryland  for  the  respective  amounts 
due  on  said  dates  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  State  Board  of  Education.    On 
the  receipt  of  the  warrant  of  the  Comptroller  the  Treasurer  of  the  State 
of  Maryland  shall  immediately  pay  the  amount  due  on  said  dates  to  the 
Treasurer  of  the  State  Board  of  Education. 

137.  The  state  superintendent  of  schools  shall  certify  to  the  Comp- 
troller, on  or  before  the  last  day  of  December,  February,  May  and  Sep- 
tember, the  amounts  due  on  said  dates  to  the  board  of  public  school 
commissioners  of  the  City  of  Baltimore  and  to  the  county  board  of  edu- 
cation of  the  several  counties,  on  account  of  the  part  payment  by  the 
State  of  the  salary  of  county  superintendents,  and  superintendent  of 
schools  of  Baltimore  City,  and  one  supervisor  and  one  attendance  officer 
in  the  City  of  Baltimore  and  in  each  of  the  several  counties.    The  Comp- 
troller shall  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  January,  March,  June  and  Octo- 
ber draw  his  warrant  on  the  treasurer  of  the  State  of  Maryland  for  the 
respective  amounts  due  the  City  of  Baltimore  and  the  treasurer  of  the 
county  boards  of  education  of  the  several  counties.    On  the  receipt  of  the 
warrant  of  the  Comptroller,  the  Treasurer  of  the  State  of  Maryland,  shall 
immediately  pay  the  respective  amounts  due  the  City  of  Baltimore  and 
the  treasurer  of  the  county  boards  of  education  of  the  several  counties. 

138.  After  all  deductions  are  made  from  the  General  State  School 
Fund  as  provided  for  in  section  133  of  this  article,  the  Comptroller  shall 
apportion  on  or  before  the  last  day  of  September,  the  remainder  of  the 


APPENDIX  225 

General  State  School  Fund  of  each  year  to  the  several  counties  and  the 
City  of  Baltimore,  as  follows:  Two-thirds  shall  be  apportioned  on  the 
basis  of  the  population  between  the  ages  of  six  and  fourteen  years  as 
given  by  the  latest  available  biennial  school  census  required  by  sections 
2iB,  25M  and  75  of  this  article;  provided,  that  the  latest  Federal  Census 
shall  be  employed  until  the  biennial  school  census  becomes  available;  and 
one-third  shall  be  apportioned  upon  the  basis  of  the  aggregate  days  of 
school  attendance  during  the  preceding  school  year  as  certified  to  by  the 
state  superintendent  of  schools,  provided  that  the  attendance  of  pupils  in 
a  state  aided  high  school  shall  not  be  counted  in  apportioning  the  General 
State  School  Fund. 

139.  On  or  before  the  first  day  of  January,  March,  June  and  October, 
in  each  year,  the  treasurer  of  the  state,  upon  the  warrant  of  the  Comp- 
troller, shall  pay  in  the  proportion  required  by  section  138  of  this  article, 
after  deductions  are  made  as  provided  in  section  133  of  this  article,  what 
remains  from  the  amount  received  to  the  credit  of  the  General  State 
School  Fund  to  the  treasurer  of  the  county  boards  of  education  of  the 
several  counties  and  to  the  city  of  Baltimore.  He  shall  equalize,  as  far  as 
may  be  possible,  the  sums  to  be  paid  on  each  of  said  days,  and  shall  notify 
the  state  superintendent  of  schools  of  said  apportionment.  Provided, 
that  the  comptroller  shall  withhold  from  any  county  or  from  the  City  of 
Baltimore  any  instalment  from  the  General  State  School  Fund  on  notifi- 
cation from  the  state  superintendent  of  schools  that  said  county  or  City 
of  Baltimore  is  not  complying  with  the  provisions  of  this  article. 

CHAPTER  20. 
Colored  Industrial  Schools. 

142.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  county  board  of  education  in  each 
county  of  the  State,  when  in  their  judgment  there  is  need  thereof,  to 
provide  a  suitable  building  or  room,  or  rooms,  connected  with  one  of  the 
colored  schools  of  said  county,  for  the  establishment  of  a  central  colored 
industrial  school,  and  to  provide  for  the  maintenance  of  such  central 
colored  industrial  school  where  instruction  shall  be  given  daily  in  do- 
mestic science  and  in  such  industrial  arts  as  may  be  determined  by  the 
county  board  of  education.  One-half  of  the  appropriation  hereinafter 
provided  shall  be  used  for  the  maintenance  of  such  industrial  school. 


226  APPENDIX 

143.  Whenever  any  such  colored  industrial  school  is  opened  in  any 
county  the  secretary  of  the  county  board  of  education  shall  report  the 
fact  to  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  and  he,  or  an  assistant  desig- 
nated by  him,  shall  visit  the  said  school  and  shall  give,  if  in  his  judgment 
it  is  warranted,  a  certificate  of  approval  of  the  conditions  and  the  plan 
upon  which  said  industrial  school  is  conducted,  to  the  secretary  of  the 
county  board  of  education.    The  state  superintendent  of  schools  shall 
submit  annually  to  the  Comptroller  of  the  treasury  of  the  State  on  or  be- 
fore the  last  day  of  September,  a  complete  list  of  such  schools  as  are  en- 
titled to  receive  the  special  appropriation  for  industrial  education. 

144.  The  Comptroller,  upon  receiving  the  certificate  of  approval  from 
the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  is  hereby  authorized  and  directed  to 
issue  his  warrant,  on  the  first  day  of  October,  each  year,  upon  the  treas- 
urer of  the  State  for  the  sum  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  payable  to  the 
order  of  the  treasurer  of  the  county  board  of  education  that  has  in- 
augurated such  a  colored  industrial  school,  in  equal  quarterly  instal- 
ments, at  the  time  when  the  General  State  School  Fund  is  distributed,  as 
provided  for  in  this  article.     One-half  of  said  appropriation  shall  be  used 
for  the  support  of  one  colored  industrial  school  in  the  county,  and  one- 
half  shall  be  used  by  the  county  board  of  education  of  the  county  where 
said  colored  industrial  school  is  located  for  the  employment  of  a  capable 
and  trained  colored  supervisor  of  colored  schools,  who  shall  be  required  to 
visit,  under  the  direction  of  the  county  superintendent,  all  the  colored 
schools  of  the  county  as  often  as  the  county  superintendent  may  direct, 
and  shall  cause  instruction  of  an  industrial  character  to  be  made  a  daily 
part  of  the  work  of  every  colored  school.     The  management  and  control 
of  such  an  industrial  school  and  the  employment  of  a  supervisor  shall, 
subject  to  the  provisions  of  this  article,  be  in  the  hands  of  the  county 
board  of  education  of  the  county  where  such  school  is  located. 

145.  No  appropriation  for  the  full  amount  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars, 
authorized  by  the  preceding  section  for  the  support  of  one  central  colored 
industrial  school  and  for  the  employment  of  a  colored  school  supervisor 
in  such  county  where  the  colored  industrial  school  may  be  located,  shall 
be  paid  as  authorized  after  the  first  annual  appropriation,  unless  said 
colored  industrial  school  shall  have  had  for  the  preceding  year  an  average 
attendance  of  thirty  pupils  and  as  many  as  ten  colored  schools  in  the 
county  where  such  industrial  school  is  located.    If  in  any  county  where 


APPENDIX  227 

there  are  less  than  ten  colored  schools,  a  colored  industrial  school  shall  be 
established,  the  state  superintendent  of  schools,  in  his  discretion,  may 
recommend  the  payment  of  a  part  of  said  appropriation,  not  to  exceed 
one-half  the  amount,  or  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars;  and  when  such 
recommendation  is  made  to  the  comptroller,  he  is  authorized  and  directed 
to  issue  his  warrant  upon  the  treasurer  of  the  State  for  said  amount,  pay- 
able to  the  order  of  the  treasurer  of  the  county  board  of  education. 

CHAPTER  21. 

School  Attendance. 

156.  The  board  of  school  commissioners  of  Baltimore  city  shall  ap- 
point, and  may  remove  at  pleasure,  one  chief  attendance  officer,  male  or 
female;  and  in  addition  they  may  appoint  and  may  remove  at  pleasure, 
such  number  of  attendance  officers,  male  or  female,  not  exceeding  eigh- 
teen, as  they  may  deem  proper.  The  compensation  of  such  officers  shall 
be  fixed  and  paid  by  the  mayor  and  city  council  of  Baltimore.  The 
county  board  of  education  of  each  of  the  several  counties  shall  appoint, 
with  the  approval  of  the  county  superintendent,  and  may  remove  at 
pleasure,  with  the  approval  of  the  county  superintendent,  at  least  one 
attendance  officer,  male  or  female,  who  shall  give  his  or  her  entire 
time  to  the  duties  of  the  office;  and  such  additional  attendance  officers 
may  be  appointed  as  the  county  board  of  education  may  deem 
necessary. 

162.  Every  child,  residing  in  any  county  of  the  State  being  seven  years 
of  age,  and  under  thirteen  years  of  age,  shall  attend  some  public  school 
during  the  entire  period  of  each  year  that  the  public  schools  of  the  county 
are  in  session;  unless  it  can  be  shown  to  the  county  superintendent  of 
schools  that  such  a  child  is  elsewhere  receiving  regular  and  thorough  in- 
struction during  such  period  hi  the  studies  usually  taught  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  county  to  children  of  the  same  age;  provided,  that  the  su- 
perintendent or  principal  of  any  school,  or  persons  duly  authorized  by 
such  superintendent,  may  excuse  cases  of  necessary  and  legal  absence 
among  such  enrolled  pupils,  and  provided,  further,  that  the  provisions  of 
this  section  shall  not  apply  to  children  whose  mental  or  physical  condition 
is  such  as  to  render  the  instruction  above  described  inexpedient  or  im- 
practicable. Every  person  having  under  his  control  a  child  seven  years 


228  APPENDIX 

of  age  and  under  thirteen  years  of  age,  shall  cause  such  child  to  attend 
school  or  receive  instruction  as  required  by  this  section. 

Every  child,  residing  in  any  county  of  the  State,  being  thirteen  years  of 
age  or  fourteen  years  of  age,  shall  attend  some  public  school  not  less  than 
one  hundred  days,  as  nearly  consecutive  as  possible,  beginning  not  later 
than  November  first,  during  the  period  of  each  year  that  the  public 
schools  of  the  county  are  in  session,  and  such  child  shall  attend  some 
public  school  the  entire  period  of  each  year  that  the  public  schools  of  the 
county  are  hi  session,  if  not  regularly  and  lawfully  employed  to  labor  at 
home  or  elsewhere,  unless  it  can  be  shown  to  the  county  superintendent  of 
schools  that  such  a  child  is  elsewhere  receiving  regular  and  thorough  in- 
struction for  such  period  in  the  studies  usually  taught  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  county  to  children  of  these  ages;  provided,  that  the 
provisions  of  this  section  shall  not  apply  to  children  whose  mental 
and  physical  condition  is  such  as  to  render  the  instruction  above 
described  inexpedient  or  impracticable.  Every  person  having  under  his 
control  a  child  thirteen  years  of  age  or  fourteen  years  of  age,  shall 
cause  such  chiM  to  attend  school  or  receive  instruction  as  required  by 
this  section. 

Every  child  residing  in  any  county  of  the  State,  being  fifteen  years  of 
age  or  sixteen  years  of  age,  who  has  not  completed  the  work  of  the  public 
elementary  school,  shall  attend  some  public  school  not  less  than  one 
hundred  days,  as  nearly  consecutive  as  possible,  beginning  not  later  than 
November  first,  during  the  period  of  each  year  the  public  schools  of  the 
county  are  in  session;  and  such  child  shall  attend  some  public  school  the 
entire  period  of  each  year  the  public  schools  of  the  county  are  in  session, 
if  not  regularly  and  lawfully  employed  to  labor  at  home  or  elsewhere,  un- 
less it  can  be  shown  to  the  county  superintendent  of  schools  that  such 
child  is  elsewhere  receiving  regular  and  thorough  instruction  for  said 
period  hi  the  studies  usually  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  the  county  to 
children  of  these  ages;  provided,  that  the  provisions  of  this  section  shall 
not  apply  to  children  whose  mental  and  physical  condition  is  such  as  to 
render  the  instruction  above  described  inexpedient  or  impracticable. 
Every  person  having  under  his  control  a  child  fifteen  years  of  age,  or  six- 
teen years  of  age,  shall  cause  such  child  to  attend  school  or  receive  in- 
struction as  required  by  this  section. 

Any  person  who  has  a  child  under  his  control  and  who  fails  to  comply 


APPENDIX  229 

with  any  of  the  provisions  of  this  section,  shall  be  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor, 
and  shall  be  fined  not  exceeding  five  dollars  for  each  offense. 

173.  Wherever  the  words  "superintendent  of  public  education "  occur 
in  this  article,  they  shall  be  construed  to  mean  state  superintendent  of 
schools;  wherever  the  words  "board  of  county  school  commissioners" 
occur,  they  shall  be  construed  to  mean  "county  board  of  education";  and 
wherever  the  words  "board  of  district  school  trustees"  occur,  they  shall 
be  construed  to  mean  "district  board  of  school  trustees."  Nothing  in 
this  act  shall  be  construed  to  modify  the  duties  or  increase  the  powers  of 
the  state  board  of  education  in  reference  to  the  schools  of  the  City  of 
Baltimore. 

SEC.  2.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  this  Act  shall  take  effect  on 
June  i,  1916,  and  that  all  Acts  or  parts  of  Acts  inconsistent  with  the  pro- 
visions of  this  Act,  be  and  the  same  are  hereby  repealed  to  the  extent  of 
such  inconsistency. 

REPEAL  OF  ACADEMIC  APPROPRIATIONS 
CHAPTER  377  ACTS  1916 

An  act  to  repeal  joint  resolution  No.  34  of  the  legislative  ses- 
sion of  1831,  joint  resolution  No.  i  of  the  legislative  session  of  1832, 
joint  resolution  No.  52  of  the  legislative  session  of  1811,  joint  resolution 
No.  84  of  the  legislative  session  of  1834,  joint  resolution  No.  72  of  the 
legislative  session  of  1835,  joint  resolution  No.  35  of  the  legislative  session 
of  1839,  Chapter  107  of  the  acts  of  1798,  Chapter  204  of  the  acts  of  1835, 
Chapter  35  of  the  acts  of  1840,  Chapter  281  of  the  acts  of  1846,  Chapter 
105  of  the  acts  of  1854,  Chapter  268  of  the  acts  of  1856,  Chapters  201  and 
310  of  the  acts  of  1858,  Chapter  128  of  the  acts  of  1864,  Chapter  160  of  the 
acts  of  1865,  Chapters  183  and  434  of  the  acts  of  1868,  Chapters  88,  78, 
242,  and  419  of  the  acts  of  1870,  Chapter  176  of  the  acts  of  1874,  Chapter 
339  of  the  acts  of  1878, Chapter  429,  of  the  acts  of  1882,  Chapters  279,  299 
and  481  of  the  acts  of  1890,  and  Chapter  430  of  the  acts  of  1906;  the  same 
being  designed  to  repeal  all  continuing  appropriations  to  colleges,  acade- 
mies and  schools  included  in  what  is  commonly  known  as  the  "Academic 
Fund." 

Section  i.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  Maryland  that 
joint  resolution  No.  34  of  the  legislative  session  of  1831,  joint  resolution 


23o  APPENDIX 

No.  i  of  the  legislative  session  of  1832,  joint  resolution  No.  52  of  the 
legislative  session  of  1811,  joint  resolution  No.  84  of  the  legislative  session 
of  1834,  joint  resolution  No.  72  of  the  legislative  session  of  1835,  joint 
resolution  No.  35  of  the  legislative  session  of  1839,  Chapter  107  of  the 
acts  of  1798,  Chapter  204  of  the  acts  of  1835,  Chapter  35  of  the  acts  of 
1840,  Chapter  281  of  the  acts  of  1846,  Chapter  105  of  the  acts  of  1854, 
Chapter  268  of  the  acts  of  1856,  Chapters  201  and  310  of  the  acts  of  1858, 
Chapter  128  of  the  acts  of  1864,  Chapter  160  of  the  acts  of  1865,  Chapters 
183  and  434  of  the  acts  of  1868,  Chapters  88,  78,  242,  and  419  of  the  acts 
of  1870,  Chapter  176  of  the  acts  of  1874,  Chapter  339  of  the  acts  of  1878, 
Chapter  429,  of  the  acts  of  1882,  Chapters  279,  299  and  481  of  the  acts  of 
1890,  and  Chapter  430  of  the  acts  of  1906;  be,  and  the  same  are  hereby 
repealed  in  so  far  as  they  provide  appropriations  from  the  Treasury  of  the 
State  of  Maryland. 

Section  2.  Be  it  further  enacted  that  this  Act  shall  take  effect  on  June 
i,  1916. 

A  BILL 

Entitled  an  act  to  repeal  Chapter  33  of  the  Acts  of  1839  which  re- 
quires the  Treasurer  of  the  State  of  Maryland  to  substitute  annually  the 
sum  of  $34,069.36  for  the  interest  on  the  "Surplus  Revenue"  received 
from  the  Federal  Government,  and  apportion  same  among  the  counties 
and  the  City  of  Baltimore  for  the  public  schools. 

Section  i.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  Maryland  that 
Chapter  33  of  the  Acts  of  1839  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  repealed. 

Section  2.  Be  it  further  enacted  that  this  act  shall  take  effect  August 
i,  1916. 


THE  COUNTRY  LIFE  PRESS,   GARDEN  CITY,   N.   Y. 


14  DAY  USE 

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